To Tell a Tale
by LeggyLulu
Summary: "Arthur started it, he had practically dared him. Fine then. He would show them, he would show them all. They were about to get their socks blow off."    In which Merlin tells a tale, and Arthur pays attention. Story time has never been this complicated..
1. Challenge Accepted

**So this is my first real story I've ever posted but despite that it is MY story, so please no complete plot thefts okay? But I don't have many worries because people who watch Merlin are awesome and cool, and awesome and cool (coolsome/awesool?) people don't steal others stories ;)**

**Title: To Tell a Tale**

**Summary:** **Arthur started it, he had practically dared him. Fine then. He would show them, he would show them all. They were about to get their socks blow off. In which Merlin tells a tale and Arthur pays attention, who knew story time could be so complicated?**

**Chapter 1: Challenge Accepted**

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><p>"Merlin should tell a story." Gwaine said cheerily, elbowing Merlin in the side, a wicked gleam in his eye.<p>

"Ah, Merlin could only tell peasant stories about cattle and crops, we need a battle story." Arthur teased, thoroughly enjoying his joke and waiting for his manservant's reaction. Sure enough, Merlin looked up and gave him a glare, which only caused Arthur to laugh, as one of his joys in life was to nettle Merlin with barbs of his own brand of witty humor.

Lancelot rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. Honestly, Arthur and Merlin... the future King of Camelot and a servant who secretly practiced magic, the two most unlikely to ever be friends and yet, here they were. Although Arthur still had a hard time calling Merlin his "friend", but anyone who spent any time with the pair could tell that's exactly what they were. They would probably be best friends but for Merlin's _little_ secret.

"Arthur, I'm sure Merlin can tell a good story." Gwen defended slapping Arthur's arm and giving him a disapproving look that she couldn't quite pull off, especially when Arthur looked at her with that smile...

"I could tell one then. Have you guys heard about the time I woke up on the sands of the ocean, the waves were lapping at my toes and I had this terrible headache with no memory of how I got there, I -" Gwaine took a breath to continue, but was swiftly cut off by groans and exclamations,

"No!"

"Oh, not another one Gwaine!"

"Please, not another drinking story..."

Gwaine's mouth opened in shock before he closed it with a snap and frowned at his fellows, his mouth forming a pout.

"Well, I'm offended. My stories are very interesting, and you lot are just jealous" He muttered sullenly.

"Maybe the first few times, but they're all pretty much the same mate." Elyan remarked, snorting in amusement. Gwaine glowered.

"We've all had our moment, I think it's Merlin's turn." Leon agreed with Gwaine, nodding in the Knight's direction. That seemed to loosen Gwaine up and he bounced back with smile, reaching for his drink, it wasn't in Gwaine's nature to be offended for long.

The group of them had been out hunting and were now relaxing, around a nice, bright campfire. This outing had been Gwen's idea but had quickly been seconded by Merlin and the rest. Arthur had been showing obvious signs of stress over being the new Regent of Camelot, those signs mainly included him being more bossy, moody, and irritable than usual, what Merlin diagnosed as Arthur's "pratishness acting up again".

During the months after Morgana's Reign of Terror and Destruction as Gwaine called it, the brotherhood of the Round Table had continued to meet on a regular basis, offering support and opinions to Arthur who had been thrust into this position rather suddenly. Rebuilding Camelot was no easy task, but now it was finally nearing completion and people's lives were finally beginning to return to normal. Which was why, upon seeing the stress showing on her beloved's face, Gwen had suggested he go on a hunting trip with his knights for a little vacation. Arthur had refused at first, but after hearing Gaius tell him that he would benefit from some time off, he warmed to the idea immediately. It was supposed to be just Arthur and his knights but obviously Merlin had to come to carry things and set up camp (as well as the fact that Arthur wanted him there but wouldn't admit it) and Arthur had then insisted that Gwen come as well.

"You are as much a part of this as anyone." He had insisted adamantly, to which Gwen responded by flushing prettily. She couldn't deny that having Arthur include her, and having him want her with him made her feel rather wonderful.

During the few days they'd been away, each night after hunting, swimming or just riding about, tales would be told around the fire.

The first night they had managed to get Perceval to talk and he told them of his childhood and its tragic ending. Then Lancelot had broken the following sadness and tension with his own story of what had happened to him after he had left Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin in the forest outside Hengist's castle, and how he had eventually met Perceval.

On another night, Elyan had described some of his adventures wandering the lands, and Gwaine had endlessly recounted various drinking adventures. Gwen had spoken of how she came to be Morgana's maid after Arthur had convinced her that it was okay to mention his traitorous half-sister, and both Leon and Arthur had told the group about various quests they had gone on, including the one where Arthur had slain the Great Dragon (no one caught Merlin stifling a chuckle).

"Merlin should tell a story." Perceval announced suddenly, causing Arthur to sighed dramatically,

"Very well _Mer_lin. Regale us with a story about weeding the garden." Arthur replied, his self-satisfied smirk still in place.

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the prince. He had been about to do just that, tell a simple story from his youth in Ealdor. He was nothing if not cautious. However, he also couldn't stand to see Arthur proved right. Merlin lived for the times when Arthur was proved wrong, and it was even better when Merlin did the 'proving' himself.

This would be one of those times.

Surely it couldn't hurt to tell one story…no one would guess his involvement, especially Arthur. It couldn't hurt to make Arthur eat some crow; his ego had become too inflated lately anyway what with all this 'Regent of Camelot' business. So, Merlin steeled himself, pushed aside his misgivings, and ignored that annoying voice in his head that he referred to as his "Gaius Magic Alarm", and decided to effectively put Arthur in his place. His mind made up, Merlin straightened his posture and he placed a hand on his chin, his eyes growing contemplative, picking through the recesses of his memories for the perfect tale to tell these battle-hardened warriors.

Unbeknownst to the young warlock, the group around him became silent as everyone began to glimpse a hint of the other side of Merlin, this person behind the mask. Arthur straightened too, instinctively mimicking Merlin and his eyes lost their mocking mirth as the air around the glowing fire grew more serious. Arthur held his breath, he always forgot how unnerving _this_ Merlin was, how very different from the bumbling, naïve servant he was so familiar with. After a few minutes Merlin spoke, his voice taking on a timbre Arthur had never heard before.

"Very well." Merlin said, his voice deep, already getting into character.

"I'll tell you a story. I will tell you the tale of the Sword in the Stone."

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><p>AN Begins here: This was mostly just a prologue, next chapter will be longer. So, I have an idea of where I want this to go but I'm always up for input, and I love ideas. This shouldn't be too long, maybe three or four chapters, I haven't quite decided. If there are any grammatical errors feel free to let me know as I'm still getting the hang of actually publishing stories...<p>

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Sword in the Stone

**Okay, so finally! I meant to have this up sunday I swear but my sister graduated from HS and I was too tiered to properly edit so I waited. **

**I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and alerted my story, it made freakishly happy and I totally understand how writing faster is possible. I wanted to reply to reviews but there was no link...? I dunno, things never work for me anyway so I'll just reply now. I've seen people do it and understand it to be acceptable so...**

**Leonarema: When I wrote that I laughed because it's SO true, his Gaius Magic Alarm is separate from his conscience, a whole different ego lol. I love reveal fics too, and hopefully this part doesn't disappoint. Oh, and I read over that line you suggested and it totally sounded weird, I tried to fix it. **

**DragonflyonBreak: I think its going to be a reveal fic yes. I can't resist them and so I'm now attempting to write one. Its SO hard, I just cross my fingers and hope I don't screw up too much.**

**lilyflower1345: Arthur should know about the sword in the stone! Its one of the coolest things Merlin ever did in show after all I hope I can write it okay...**

**Ultra-Geek: Yes, its about time Merlin does something, and anything involving Gwaine makes me giggle like a crazy. **

**Yukka Sam: Thank you, I tried to stay true-ish to the show. I enjoyed writing Merlin all story-teller like. He's going to be a wizened old wizard some day, so cryptic story-telling should run in his blood.**

**OneWonders: Those moments in the show where Arthur gets a glimpse of bad-ass Merlin are my favorites!**

**FaelwenofLothlorien: Thank you, I try to have good grammer... sometimes I fail, glad this wasn't one of those times**

**Zoopdeloop, Coby, Starts with a D, Storylover 456, Snowy Midnight 942, Somewhere Beyond Reality: Thank you SO much for your reviews, they were awesome and they made me write faster.**

**So here is the actual story. I tried to make it a little realistic, so if things maybe sound a little weird or don't quite make sense feel free to point it out but its probably because I wanted to create some possible holes... you know cause he's making this story up as he goes and its already a little too good for a made up story but I didn't want him to keep going back and repeating himself, if that makes any sense. **

**I re-read through it like three times but here's the thing- I dislike proofreading my work. I always have in fact so...yeah please feel free to let me know if anything really sucks. **

**So on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 2: The Sword in the Stone**

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><p><em>"Very well." Merlin said, his voice deep, already getting into character.<em>

_"I'll tell you a story. I will tell you the tale of the Sword in the Stone."_

Merlin began, his blue eyes glinting with more than just the light from the fire. The idea had just occurred to him as he sat staring at the various swords lying on the ground by their respective masters. It was a sudden thought and his mind had instantly grasped at it. Knights were warriors who were superbly skilled with swords, and what better story to tell a knight than a tale about the greatest sword of all time? If he could spin the story just so…twist the details so no one would suspect…. he could show up Arthur and manage to keep his secrets at the same time. So Merlin took a deep breath as he thought of how to begin.

"All tales of great quests begin with a man, but in this instance it begins with a sword. This sword was no mere forging of steel with a pretty handle, no; this sword was much, much more. In the days of old there were rumors, rumors of a sword that could outmatch and defeat every enemy."

Merlin began talking, making his voice deeper, attempting to sound mysterious. He hoped that the words he strung together made sense.

"But every sword has a beginning, and this one is no different. Skilled human hands forged this sword, a thing of beauty that already surpassed others in its make. A sorcerer who took this sword during a time of great need. He brought it to a dragon and asked that the dragon burnish the sword, for he knew that a sword bathed in a dragon's breath would be more powerful than any other. It could even kill that which cannot be killed."

As Merlin spoke he found that the words came easier and he shifted slightly, settling into his role,

"But this dragon was cautious because, in his great wisdom he could see things the sorcerer could not, and he saw that a sword with such power, if wielded by someone undeserving, would bring great harm and destruction to the land. The dragon made the sorcerer promise that this sword would only be wielded by the man the sorcerer sought to protect- it could be no other. The sorcerer swore that it would be so, and the dragon, a being of pure magic, burnished the sword thusly. The sorcerer did not keep his promise however, and a man who was unworthy of such power used the sword. In his anger the dragon took away his blessing for the sword to be used at all, and he made the sorcerer promise to place it where no one could find it, and none could ever wield it. The sorcerer, acknowledging his mistake, took the sword back, and in the middle of the night walked a great distance to throw the sword into a lake." Merlin made sure to pause here dramatically, knowing that someone would say something, and sure enough...

"Wait, you said a lake? Why would the sorcerer just throw it in a lake? Anyone could find it there." Gwaine interrupted a look of confusion replacing the fascinated expression he had been wearing just moments ago.

Merlin smiled at Gwaine, the knight was sitting with his legs crossed, hunched over with his fists under his chin, staring intently at Merlin. All the knights were similarly arranged, Perceval and Leon had even come closer to Merlin's side of the fire. Gwen was leaning against the trunk of a tree, her legs pulled to her chest, Lancelot was sitting near her, both wore looks of concentration. Merlin, who was more than a little smug that his story was already such a hit, answered Gwaine's question in an ominous voice, still very much in character, and obviously enjoying this experience.

"It wasn't just any lake. This was the Lake of Avalon."

The mention of Avalon was a surprise. Merlin heard an intake of breath and looked over at Arthur, prepared with a triumphant smile, but Merlin was surprised that Arthur seemed just as intent on the story as the rest of them, and there was no mocking look on his face. He was sitting next to Gwen but his gaze was completely focused on Merlin, his expression unreadable. Merlin quickly reminded himself that Arthur wouldn't read into the story, but still, feeling anxious and edgy, he quickly looked away from Arthur's unnerving stare and back to watching the fire. The flames danced and flickered merrily, reminding him of the very flame he was speaking of. With his eyes captured by the color of the fire his mouth slowly began forming the words to continue his tale,

"The sorcerer threw the sword into the Lake of Avalon and walked away, thinking he would never see it again. Time passed and although this sorcerer forgot all about the sword, he never forgot about the lake for he visited it whenever he could get away from his duties. Many years later an evil sorcerer crossed the ocean, determined to conquer the new land of Albion for his own. He raised an army, but the people of the land were strong, they defended their homes and the evil man and his mercenaries were defeated. With his army gone the already crazed sorcerer sunk deeper into madness. He began researching ways to conquer, learning spells to cause death and destruction. For many months he wrought havoc and killed many people, but still, he failed to in his goal to become king."

"It wasn't until years later, disguised as a peasant, that he found refuge with the Druids on the Isle of the Blessed. It was there he discovered that he'd been looking in the wrong place…he was looking for death when he should have been looking for life. There, on the Isle, the Druids, unaware of his true nature, taught him about the ancient powerful relic they called The Cup of Life. This Cup, they told him, when used by someone with the power, can bring back somebody from the threshold of death itself. But the use of the Cup requires a price, for the Old Religion always demands balance."

Here, Merlin's 'story-teller' voice took on a hint of bitterness,

"The balance demands a life for a life. When life is given another must be taken. That is the law. But still, the sorcerer felt like he was closer to his goal, he knew that somehow the Cup was the answer and now it was just a matter of figuring out how. So he kept asking questions and reading, and finally, months later, his patience was rewarded and he came across a journal. The person writing the journal had been a Druid priest and he had discovered another, darker use of the Cup. Here now, at last, he had his answer. He stole the Cup and took it from the Isle. He began rounding up men with promises of glory and gold. He had perhaps half the number he had before, but this time numbers wouldn't matter. He told his men that he would make them immortal, and one by one each of them put their own blood into the Cup."

"Meanwhile, the uh-" Merlin stuttered, disrupting the easy flow of his voice and the suspenseful atmosphere that had pervaded the area.

"The um, the other sorcerer, the one from before…" Merlin sputtered, realizing how confusing it was to have two sorcerers in one story, and then before he really thought it through he quickly blurted out,

"Lets just refer to him as a warlock," and then, as it swiftly dawned on him what he had just said, Merlin was quick to add,

"You know, to uh, make it easier…" Merlin hoped his voice didn't betray his nervousness, as he hadn't meant to let that word slip.

"Warlock…?" He heard Gwen's questioning voice, but Merlin didn't even look at her, or anyone else for that matter. He hoped that if he pressed on that little tidbit would be forgotten.

"Yes, he was a warlock, and he had heard of the approach of this army of immortal men led by this powerful sorcerer. The land the warlock lived in was the last stronghold in the realm and its ruler was determined that it not be defeated. But this realm had many traitors, and in a few days the area was surrounded. The ruler and a few of his most trusted friends, including the warlock, managed to escape, but they had to leave many behind. They kept hidden for weeks as the ruler and his men made plans to retake their land. Then the Warlock had a dream, a vision where he saw the Lake of Avalon as if flying from above, as he got closer to the lake he began seeing images of the sword laying at the bottom. When he woke up he realized something he had overlooked, that the immortal soldiers were not actually immortal at all, but by putting their blood into the Cup of Life they had lost their souls and were now the living dead, mere hallow shells. If this was so, then the warlock knew the sword would be able to defeat them."

"So the warlock called to the dragon, the same one who had burnished the sword, and asked that he be flown to the lake to retrieve it. The dragon took him on his back and flew him to the Lake of Avalon and waited for him there. The warlock stepped into the small boat that was moored there, and with magic, commanded it to steer him to the middle of the Lake where he had thrown the sword all those years ago. He was prepared to either use magic to bring up the sword, or to go get it himself. But the moment the boat came to a stop a figure slowly began to emerge from the water. It was a woman, the Lady of the Lake, floating effortlessly atop the waves with the sword held horizontally in her hands. The Warlock was stunned at her presence and at her ethereal beauty, for she was clearly apart from the world, timeless and permanent. Despite his surprise, the warlock knew instinctively that she meant him no harm, and his trust was rewarded moments later when, with a smile, she held out the sword as if presenting a gift, which he took."

Merlin's voice changed subtly as he spoke of the Lady, but he didn't pause to explain this new figure because as he had been speaking, it had dawned on him that maybe telling this particular tale hadn't been such a good idea, but he continued because he knew he had to finish it. Although he was a little apprehensive about what would happen when this tale ended.

"The Lady of Lake spoke and her voice sounded inside his head,

'This is the item of power you seek. I have brought it forth from the waves so that you may use it to bring back the balance of the land. This immortal army cannot be allowed continuedexistence, but to defeat them you will need help, and that is what I am giving you. However, know this young warlock, you can't hope to defeat this threat alone and you will need more thanthis sword to do so. Have faith in those around you, they too are destined for greatness.'

And after saying her piece she turned around and walked away, gliding over the water until she slowly disappeared and the warlock could see her no more. When he made it back to the dragon, the sword clutched reverently in his hands, the dragon again made him make a promise. The dragon made the warlock promise that after this battle was over, he would once again place the sword where none could wield it. This time though, the warlock questioned the dragon and asked if anyone would ever be worthy enough to wield the sword. The dragon paused and after a second he said that only the Once and Future King would be deserving, and only he could use the sword with courage and honor."

"The warlock nodded his assent and once again took to the dragon's back. Upon returning he found that a plan of invasion had been put into action. The ruler and his few warriors had planned to sneak into their kingdom and murder the sorcerer, hoping that with him gone the army would disappear. The warlock, who uh, knew about the Cup of Life, also understood that to undo this curse, the blood must be emptied from the Cup. So while the others, having made it into the city undetected, pressed forward, the warlock hung back. He had sensed the Cup's power and followed it into a room full of undead soldiers. The sword, upon making the slightest contact with any immortal, immediately destroyed the body, leaving nothing in its wake."

"The warlock managed to get close enough to the Cup to knock it over, but the sorcerer caught him unawares and threw him across the room with a powerful spell. The sword slid from his grasp as he gasped for air, his body feeling numb as the pain overwhelmed him. What happened next was unexpected. As the evil sorcerer walked up to face his new opponent a force hit him from behind, sending both men sprawling across the ground. The warlock recognized his ruler, who was now tumbling on the floor with the sorcerer as more immortal soldiers rushed in. The warlock saw the rest of his friends around the room fighting a loosing battle. He knew if he didn't do something they would all die."

"So he took a deep breath and closed his eyes and when he opened them the world had all but stopped. Figures moved at a crawl, everyone still locked in fierce combat; the warlock had all but stopped time. He quickly ran over to where the sword was thrown, picked it up and heaved it to the pedestal where the Cup rested, and hefting the blade over his head he swung and knocked the Cup over just as time resumed it's normal speed. The moment the blood in the Cup splashed against the stone floor every immortal soldier, with a sound like an explosion, evaporated, leaving the room empty 'cept for the ruler and the sorcerer. Upon seeing his army defeated the sorcerer let out a harsh cry that shook the very foundations of the earth. The ruler was quickly pulled off the raging man as great blocks began falling from the ceiling. Then the ruler, in a decisive move, tore the sword from the Warlock's hands and with a smooth, seemingly effortless cut, separated the sorcerer's head from his body."

"Then of course there was celebrating…" Merlin trailed off, trying to decide how to get from there to the ending. Also, he was pretty sure it was too quiet, as no one had said anything since Gwaine asked about the Lake… So he spoke again, rushing a little through to the ending.

"But uh, a few days later when he was sure he wouldn't be missed, the warlock took the sword and traveled deep into the woods and searched, not quite knowing what he was looking for, but in a small clearing there was a stone, bathed in an oval of light from where the sun burst through the trees. When he saw this stone the warlock knew that this was what he had been looking for. He stood before the stone, raised the sword and with a mere thought he thrust the blade into the rock as if cutting through butter. As he was sliding the sword he was thinking about what the dragon had said, and when he was finished he stood back to admire his work. As he viewed the stone and sword, so elegant in their setting, he couldn't resist adding one last touch. So he stretched out his hand and writing began to appear on the stone, when he was finished it read,

'Whosoever pulleth this sword from the stone shall be the one true king.'

Many say that to this day the sword is still embedded in the stone, waiting for this true king to come along and take it up."

Merlin finished the tale on what he thought was a high note, but when he stopped speaking there was only complete silence. He looked from one person to the other, trying to make out faces in the flickering light. Specifically, Merlin wanted to look at Arthur but he was suddenly afraid of what he would find. He hadn't really meant to say some things he had, but it was all spur of the moment and he wasn't the best at spur-of-the-moment lying.

Merlin tried to convince himself that only Lancelot could maybe have seen through some of the clear parallels the story drew because he had been there and he knew, but Arthur hadn't…Merlin forced himself to look to where Arthur was seated, but the prince was no longer there. Merlin had one moment of confusion before everything happened all at once. Gwaine and Lancelot jumped up from their spots and came hurrying towards Merlin and completely baffled, he could only stare before he was being roughly turned around to face a very angry prince.

"What the _hell_ was _that_?" Arthur snarled.

Hmm, Merlin thought absently, maybe he should have just told a story about weeding.

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><p>AN: Hope to have the next chapter up sometime this week! Let me know what you think...I got a little carried away with the story because I wanted to add all these things, and I didn't want to leave anything out.<p> 


	3. No Way Out

**So, I don't know if anyone has bothered to read my profile but I posted the reason for the delay of this chapter. I have definitely not skunked out on this story and I'm loving writing it. I was in Peru for a study abroad month-long thingie and we didn't have internet for the first week and a half even though they told us we would have it so that's my excuse for the first week, my excuse for the second is that I was having fun in another country and I couldn't exactly be glued to my computer and so I haven't had time to finish writing/proofread this next chapter and so blah...its taken me forever.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorite-ed my story.**

**Anyway, on with this very delayed third chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: No Way Out<strong>

"What the _hell_ was that?" Arthur growled and gave Merlin a shove backwards.

Hmm...maybe he should have just told a story about weeding, Merlin thought absently.

"So, uh, you didn't like it then?" He asked tentatively. At this point Gwaine and Lancelot had made it to Merlin and both stood beside him. Gwaine put his hand on Arthur's shoulder,

"Hey, cool down princess, it was only a story." Gwaine said, his voice firm as he forcibly moved Arthur away from Merlin.

"It was a story about magic." Arthur stated firmly, but there was a hint of remorse in his voice from how he had just treated his manservant. Arthur knew he would never hurt Merlin but he took a step back anyway, acknowledging that he was angry and he didn't want to do something he'd regret. Gwen had come over to stand beside him and her presence reminded him to behave.

"It's a story about a sword in a stone Arthur, of course it's going to have magic. Its just a story though, I didn't think you'd take it so seriously." Merlin replied, and Arthur might have believed him but for the nervous chuckle Merlin tagged onto the end.

Arthur could usually tell when Merlin was lying and he never questioned it before because he had figured it was something stupid or silly, but not this entire story was bordering on treason, dragons, magical swords, and _good_ sorcerers? And why had Merlin used warlock instead of sorcerer? How had _he _known that? And how did he know that a sword burnished with dragon flame could be so powerful? Arthur hadn't even _heard_ of some of the things Merlin had mentioned. The Lady of the Lake? The mention of Avalon? These were not trifling names. These were names Arthur had learnt many years ago when he was being taught about the Old Religion. They had been lessons held in secret because the knowledge was so forbidden. Arthur had only been allowed to know because he would be king someday. So how did Merlin, a country boy from a small farming village, know stuff about the Old Religion that Arthur himself did not know?

Arthur's face was flushed, his eyes intent on Merlin, his mind flooded with questions- questions that he had tried to answer during the tale, but had found himself coming up empty. The whole time he had listened in silence, determined for Merlin to finish, hoping that somehow, someway, the tale would become just that…a simple story and nothing more. But the the more Arthur had heard, the more he was convinced that it wasn't. Arthur could also see that Merlin was hiding something. He had known before that Merlin kept secrets but he had never imagined that Merlin knew so much about magic.

Well maybe is was Gaius, Arthur thought grudgingly. Merlin _was_ Gaius's ward after all, and Arthur knew that his father relied on Gaius for his magical expertise in addition to his talents as a physician. Had Gaius actually been teaching Merlin these things? And Merlin had actually learnt? Arthur felt slightly stupid upon this revelation because obviously, this is what had happened. Merlin knew things because of Gaius. This was the most likely explanation. Still though…that story had been something else.

So Arthur did what he usually did when he was dealing with 'Wise Merlin', Arthur gave himself and Merlin, a way out.

"Very well. Who told that tale to you then hmm? Was it Gaius? Is he filling your idiotic head with dragons, lakes, and warlocks?" Arthur asked, addressing Merlin like he was speaking to a small child.

"No, no of course he didn't" Merlin answered automatically, protecting his mentor.

"Really? Then where did you learn it, and _don't you dare _tell me you made it up right then. I'm not an imbicile Merlin, it takes knowledge to spin a story like that." Arthur pressed.

"Well uh, Gaius did tell me you know…some stuff, and I've uh, I've stringed things together. We've encountered plenty of magic Arthur and I soak things up like a sponge you know." Merlin replied with a following, awkward chuckle. Arthur shook his head, but inwardly he felt the inklings of relief because well, maybe Merlin _was_ telling the truth, and maybe his manservant was just an amazing story-teller, a truth Arthur could accept. But still, that part of the prince that knew, deep down, that Merlin often lied, could not just let everything go.

"The Lake of Avalon, the Cup of Life, talking dragons, women who live in lakes… these are all things I am not familiar with. If Gaius hasn't taught you then how did you know?" Arthur asked, his voice was indignant and slightly accusing. Merlin's thoughts were frantic because he too was grasping, grasping at straws trying to hold everything together. Gwen interjected then, attempting to calm things down, pushing aside her own reaction,

"Okay Arthur listen, I won't deny that some things were…surprising to say the least, but you need to remember that Gaius has always been a friend, if he told Merlin these things it would only be because he felt Merlin needed to know them." Gwen reasoned, her voice calm.

"I agree with this wise beauty here, we all just need to calm down." Gwaine agreed, still standing relatively in between Arthur and Merlin. Lancelot just watched from Merlin's other side, his face serious. Lancelot knew he could only keep his silence because his honor would not allow him to actually lie to Arthur's face so, with his nerves on edge, he awaited to see how Merlin talked his way out of this one.

Merlin, his insides rolling and feeling slightly naseous, couldn't believe that of all the times for Arthur wake up, it had to be _now_. It hadn't been when Merlin had been gone for days, not when Merlin had told him he had a troll for a step mother, and certainly not when Morgana's immortal army had been "mysteriously" defeated. Oh no, it was because of a simple story.

Well, Merlin thought ruefully, how the hell was he going to get out of this?

Leon, who had stood up and walked over to where Arthur was, interjected logically, "If Gaius told Merlin these things on a need-to-know basis, then you must have dealt with all these things at some point."

Merlin gaped at Sir Leon while Arthur put on this 'ah-ha' face.

Merlin wanted to slap both of them.

Gwaine wisely kept quiet this time and actually looked at Merlin as if it was finally dawning on him that maybe Merlin _was_ hiding something after all. Arthur seemed to be on the same train of thought, and Gwen gave Merlin this skeptical look that Merlin had never seen directed at him before.

Merlin knew that deep down, what he longed for the most was for Arthur to look at him and finally see the person behind his carefully manufactured façade. However, when it seemed that that part of him was about to get its wish, in possibly the most inconvienient way possible, all Merlin wanted was an escape. He needed to be able to think. There had to be some way to talk himself out of this.

"Arthur, I swear, Gaius taught me some but a lot of it I read. You can ask Geoffrey, I'm always in the library" Merlin fibbed slightly. He did spend a lot of time in library but Geoffrey didn't exactly _know_ about all those times.

"Look, Arthur, its late, we're tiered, and we have to get up early tomorrow to track that stag. If you have questions for Merlin I'm sure he can answer them tomorrow." Lancelot interjected. Arthur shook his head is disagreement,

"No, no, I want to know-"

"Also, my mother used to tell me stories and I've always had a knack for it and I wanted to prove you wrong, I'm really sorry I got carried away." Merlin pleaded, his face showing his sincerity. Arthur took a deep breath as he looked into Merlin's eyes. Maybe he _had_ over reacted, just a little bit.

"See, there you are, now can we all be friends again please because I'm beginning to like all of you and I would hate for something like this to come between us." Gwaine tittered in his usual exaggerated way. "Also, Merlin, you're going to have to tell me that story every night before I go to bed."

This time Arthur did let out a laugh and it seemed to break the tension hanging in the air. Merlin rolled his eyes, and Elyan gave Gwaine an affectionate shove, "Little Gwaine needs Merlin to tuck him in does he?" Elyan said and then laughed when Gwaine pushed him back.

"Alright, I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Off to bed with you all." Gwen ordered, a small smile playing on the corner of her mouth.

The knights slowly went their separate ways, each to his own bedroll. Lancelot gave Merlin a loaded look as he crawled into his blanket. Merlin did the same, turning over and staring at the stars, imagining how different his life could have been right now if he had told Arthur the truth. He could either be banished, imprisoned, or perhaps he would have been accepted and right now he would be a man free of secrets, at least concerning his best friend.

Merlin reflected on the story he told and how the words had come spilling out. Come to think of it, stopping time wouldn't have been such a bad idea then, and it came so easily to him too. He didn't use it very often because it was so noticeable but he should definitely practice it for fun. Maybe play a prank on Arthur.

Merlin sighed, if he could only tell Arthur his secret…

"I'd need help." He muttered under his breath, because he didn't think he could actually, physically _tell_ Arthur. The closest he could get was that story and all it had taken was a few words from Merlin and Arthur was back to his blissfully ignorant self. Looking at the stars above the trees, Merlin wished, not for the first time, that somehow, someway, he could find a way to reveal his secret to Arthur.

"Then I'd be free." He whispered as his eyes slowly closed.

The next morning was overcast and threatening dark clouds hung in the distance, promising rain and the assured discomfort that came with hunting in it. The group seemed determined not to mention last night and Arthur was strangely quiet throughout the morning, only speaking when he was ordering people about, especially Merlin. Arthur seemed to find slight satisfaction in the subtle punishment of making Merlin run all around, getting everything ready.

The weather seemed to carry with it a sense of urgency and before too long everything was packed up and the knights were on their way deeper into the forest, tracking the large stag they had caught wind of yesterday before they had to make camp. Arthur was particularly intent and seemed determined to thrust his sword into something today.

Merlin could only do his best to mask his exasperation with Arthur. He knew the prince was still angry, but his royal highness was just going to have to get over it because if this was how he reacted to _one_ little secret Merlin could hardly imagine what he was going to do when he eventually found out about it all. It wasn't going to be pretty and it had Merlin internally wincing atop his horse.

Merlin's thoughts were cut off abruptly as a figure darted out from the trees, startling the horses. There up ahead, facing them like he knew exactly who they were, was a huge stag. Compared to the unicorn, it was possibly one of the most beautiful animals Merlin had ever seen. It had magnificent antlers that branched on each side in perfect symmetry and every part of the stag, down to its hooves, was completely white. Merlin felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, a sudden feeling of foreboding stole over his body, causing him to shiver as the sounds of amazement and exclamation from the others echoed around him.

The stag seemed to be looking straight at Arthur too, and in Merlin's experience this wasn't a good thing. Something was not quite right about this stag and Merlin had the intense, assured feeling that this animal was not just any animal and in fact in might not be an animal at all.

Merlin opened his mouth, "Ar- Arthur, I don't think…"

But as Merlin looked over he saw that Arthur had already strung his bow and was pointing it right at the deer. Merlin saw that Gwen at least, seemed equally perturbed but that all the other knights had their weapons similarly out and ready.

Suddenly the stag gave, what Merlin interpreted as a come-and-get-me- stare and bolted through the trees.

"Lancelot, take Gwen, and you and Perceval head off right. Leon and Elyan, go left, cut it off and herd it towards the middle. Gwaine and I will chase it head on." Arthur spoke quickly and after giving his orders he kicked his horse into the fastest pace the forest would allow. Gwaine quickly headed off after Arthur and Merlin, without needing to be told, followed behind at a slightly slower pace.

The chase went on for quite some time, both Arthur and Gwaine shouting to each other about where the stag went, yelling directions. Merlin was too busy constantly ducking and dodging every branch that sprung out in his way. There were narrow pathways through the trees but in some places these paths were clearly being reclaimed by the forest and the longer they rode the more trees they ran into. Merlin would have been convinced they had lost the creature if every couple of minutes they didn't glimpse its white body moving through the trees just ahead of them.

The forest itself was getting a little darker, the tree canopy clouding out the sunlight. Merlin wondered, as he ducked and bobbed, how far they were from Camelot now.

"Can we stop now? We're clearly _not_ going to catch it." Merlin half yelled half groaned.

"Stop being such a girl, the thing can't outrun us forever." Arthur called back.

"The horses can't last very much longer." Gwaine commented, slowing his mount down. Arthur realized that Gwaine was probably right, they had been riding relatively hard for at least a half hour or so.

"Let's go a bit slower and if we find a stream we'll tie them up." Arthur replied, patting his gelding.

So the three made their way slower through the trees, following the tracks the stag had left behind. Merlin noted that it had been a while since they had last seen the deer, and Merlin was just about to be relieved, thinking they had lost it, when it appeared up ahead.

"There!" Gwaine pointed. The moment they moved to follow it, the deer ran again, and this time it took a slight right into a thicker patch of trees.

"We're going to have to dismount." Arthur said, sliding off his horse and grasping it's lead with one hand while the other gripped his bow. Gwaine did the same and after a beat, Merlin reluctantly slipped off his horse too. Arthur led them through the brush with Merlin taking the rear, and as soon as they entered the real forest the visibility reduced even greater to the point where it was almost like the hour after dusk and everything was in shadow. As they moved loudly through the trees, the horses expressing their extreme dislike for the situation, Merlin really began to look around and at some points he thought he might have recognized where they were. But then, he guessed, the forests around Camelot all looked relatively similar anyway.

It wasn't until about ten minutes later when Merlin would realize exactly why this particular area had looked familiar.

"Come on, I think I see it, a little further ahead…" Arthur had said, his voice lowered.

"Good cause I think I have a twig in my boot." Gwaine had muttered back.

Then Arthur, having pushed through a few remaining bushes, suddenly burst into a small clearing. The sun shone through the trees here so Arthur had had to squint and shield his eyes while he looked for any sign of the stag. He looked first to the right and then as he was swiveling his head to the other side, he saw Gwaine, who had come up behind him, staring open mouthed at something. Arthur put a questioning look on his face before he followed Gwaine's gaze to the corner of the clearing.

There, completely illuminated by sunlight, was a large stone, and protruding from that stone was the body and hilt of a stunning sword. The gold and steel glinted and reflected the light, shining like a beacon here in this silent forest where the chance that anyone would stumble across it was almost nonexistent.

It was at this point that Merlin, very much louder than the other two had been, stumbled into the clearing. He immediately shut his eyes against the sudden light and gripped his horse's lead tighter. When his eyes adjusted he saw Arthur and Gwaine standing there, looking stupid, staring at…

"Oh, damn." Merlin intoned, not even bothering to keep his voice down.

Merlin felt numb. As he stared at what would soon be his doom, he could only feel numb. Even as Arthur turned to him, a betrayed look on his face, Merlin could only blink. Gwaine turned too and looked at Merlin, his face fully expressing his complete astonishment. Then, since it had been a couple minutes Perceval, Gwen, and Lancelot came through the other side, closely followed by Leon and Elyan. Everyone stopped and looked and for a couple minutes no one made a sound because they were all staring at the oddly serene and certainly fairy-tale looking image of a sword in a stone.

However Arthur couldn't remain silent for long and his stare slowly turned to Merlin,

"You have got to be kidding me, its _real_? There is a real sword in that stone." Arthur exclaimed, his voice bordering on hysterical.

"You-you told me it was just a story." Arthur said, his voice shaking on the first word, Merlin could tell, he just knew that Arthur was applying all his kingly skill into not loosing his composure, but it wasn't quite working. Merlin could usually read Arthur pretty well, and he knew that while he was feeling numb, Arthur was experiencing the exact opposite. Merlin wanted to help him, to erase that betrayed look on his face but he could only stare, completely helpless at his own work, that was now mocking him with its beauty and tranquility.

After Arthur had broken the silence the others seemed compelled to also voice their surprise but Merlin couldn't concentrate on anyone besides the pounding in his ears. He heard words, many words strung together that took the form of questions and accusations but he could only acknowledge, distantly and with sudden assurity that this was probably his worst nightmare.

"Merlin…" Came Gwen's soft voice as she stood beside Arthur, her voice laced with doubt. Lancelot stood on her other side trying not to panic, his mind racing, frantically trying to come up with excuses that he could somehow convey to Merlin but he knew that there wasn't one that Merlin could us because the resulting lie would be too great to maintain and the betrayal of trust at this stage would be unforgivable. This Lancelot knew, and from the look on Merlin's face- like his world was hanging on a precipice- he assumed Merlin knew as well.

So Lancelot could only remain silent, ready to interject with his support whenever Merlin was ready. It was all he could do right now.

Merlin saw the slight uncertainty in Gwaine's eyes, the betrayal and anger in Arthur's, hurt in Gwen's, and the looks of shock and alarm in everyone else's expressions, and Merlin had to look away, overcome with self loathing and deep anxiety because he knew what he had to do now. As he looked back up and met Arthur's eyes he could only take a breath and steel himself for what could possibly be the last words he ever spoke.

This was not going to be pretty.

"Arthur, I- I lied" Merlin began, the words sticking in his throat. No one spoke as complete silence descended in the clearing.

"The tale I told you- it _is_ real. I told you it wasn't because there are some things you don't know, well not just some things- there are actually quite a few things you don't know and I was trying to keep those things from you. I didn't see another way though Arthur, I swear if- if- I could do it over again I would tell you the truth but its so _hard _to tell you the truth because- well because of the obvious, huh, _obviously_ I couldn't just blurt it out could I?"

Merlin knew he was rambling but he couldn't seem to stop himself. So when he finally paused and looked around, the confused faces looking back at him were no surprise.

"What are you saying Merlin?" Arthur asked harshly through gritted teeth. Although Merlin's rant hadn't made much sense, Arthur had still gotten the main point, that Merlin had lied to him.

"Arthur maybe-" Lancelot cut in hoping to defuse Arthur's ire.

"No Lancelot, Arthur has every right to be angry. Arthur, you know I would never harm you or Camelot and I've always, _always_, only tried to protect you. But the story is real, as there is quite obviously a sword in that stone over there." Merlin continued, cutting off Lancelot before the knight could make more excuses for a warlock who didn't deserve them.

"Yes, we can see that. What interests me right now is how you knew! I want to know who told you that story and I also want to know why you didn't speak to me about this when you first heard it. This is dangerous knowledge Merlin, and certainly far above your understanding! You know nothing about magic so maybe you can't comprehend how serious this tale was when you heard it, but it _is_ serious, and now you will tell me this instant how you knew there was a magical sword embedded in a stone." Arthur enunciated each word, managing to sound both condenscending and irritated at the same time and quite forgetting that Merlin _did_ know about magic.

Throughout Arthur's little spiel Merlin could only gape at the injustice and the irony because here was Arthur, once again, basically belittling Merlin's intelligence with a few careless words. Normally Merlin would have just rolled his eyes because really, he was very used to this by now, but Merlin wasn't perfect by any means and though it didn't often come out to play, Merlin did have a rather formidable temper.

So when Arthur stopped speaking, his royal highness, his future wife, and his (mostly) loyal knights watched in growing apprehension as a rather interesting smile spread across Merlin's face and Arthur knew suddenly and before Merlin opened his mouth that he was not going to like the answer to his questions.

"I knew there was a sword in that stone because I was the one who put it there." Merlin stated firmly, his eyes glinting with determination.

It took a couple moments for Arthur to process what Merlin had just revealed as utter silence reined in the clearing.

"You- You-" Arthur floundered, then finally he looked up at his friend- probably his best friend though he would never admit it- and asked in what Merlin thought was a defeated voice,

"What does that mean?"

Merlin paused and met Arthur's eyes,

"Arthur…I- the story- I'm the warlock from the story. I had the dragon burn the sword, I threw it in the Lake of Avalon, I got it back and used it to defeat Morgana's immortal army and I brought it here to this spot and used magic to stick the sword in that stone. It was all me."

"What? No Merlin, no, you can't be a sorcerer." Gwen cried in distress, her hand was covering her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"That actually makes some sense." Gwaine countered after a moment, while staring appraisingly at his friend.

"How Gwaine, how does Merlin having magic make any sense at all? In fact I don't believe you!" Arthur said alternatively addressing first Gwaine and then Merlin.

"I don't believe you at all Merlin because there is no possible _way_ that _you_ could be a _sorcerer_. No. Way." Arthur insisted, his voice taking on that sarcastic tone Merlin knew too well.

"I don't know Sire… there have been instances…" Leon trailed off when Arthur threw him maddened look.

"What Leon here is trying to say is that Merlin having magic could possibly make sense. Granted, I'm pretty sure that nothing could have prepared me for that revelation so I can understand your shock as I am experiencing a little of it myself." Gwaine said in a calm manner that belied his words.

Gwen was just shaking her head in a lost manner, she like Arthur, couldn't quite grasp what was happening.

"Well I don't believe it! Merlin whatever you think I assure you that you do not have magic. This sword here-" Arthur expounded as he stomped over to the stone and sword and began surveying it, "Is not magical at all. The only magic about it is that it happens to be supremely sharp and strong. It is so sharp and strong that it can cut through stone. Now a sword being able to do that may _seem _like magic but I assure you that it is merely new methods in forging." Arthur went on as he walked around the large boulder but did not move to actually touch the sword.

Gwen and Elyan's eyes met, both conveying to each other their deep skepticism where "new methods in forgery" were concerned because as far as they knew there was no such metal that could cut through stone. However, neither one spoke a word of this aloud as it was clear Arthur was having a bit of a moment.

"In fact, because it had simply been thrust into the stone, anyone should be able to pull it out, unlike in that stupid story…it should be quite simple really…Gwaine!" Arthur called suddenly straigtening up. Arthur had reached for the sword for a brief second but strangely his hand retreated almost the next instant after he had moved, his fingers curling inward a he backed away from the stone before addressing Gwaine.

"Gwaine, I want you to pull this sword out of the stone." Arthur commanded.

Gwaine looked from Arthur to Merlin, a look of deep uncertaintly on his face.

"Arthur, I don't know if I sh-" He began,

"That wasn't a request Sir Gwaine. Pull out the sword." Arthur reiterated.

Gwaine scratched his beard as he contemplated whether to outright refuse his liege. He looked again at Merlin who was standing there with a mix of seriousness and amusement on his face and when Gwaine looked at him Merlin gave an imperceptible nod. So Gwaine, with a deep breath, walked over to the sword in the stone, wrapped his hands around the hilt, braced his feet apart, bent his knees, and pulled.

Nothing. Gwaine could feel that the sword did not give at all. He pulled one more time, applying all his great strength and again nothing happened. So he calmly removed his hands from the hilt and stood up, facing Arthur,

"I can not pull out the sword." He stated coolly.

Arthur stared at him hard and Gwaine detected a hint of vulnerability in Arthur's eyes before it was quickly gone and he was barking out another order and another name…

"Sir Perceval…" Arthur stated and Perceval also walked over and without any preamble attempted to remove the sword.

"I am sorry but I can not." Perceval said when he too was unable to remove the sword, a little more respectful than Gwaine had been.

And so the train of knights began with Arthur then calling upon Lancelot who didn't even bother to try and refuse he just when up and pulled and then, looking Arthur in the eyes he shook his head. After Lancelot it was Leon and then Elyan, and everyone half expected Arthur to ask Gwen to try and heft the sword next.

"I cannot believe" Arthur said after all his knights had tried and failed to remove the sword,

"That _none_ of you could pull out this _bloody_ sword!" Arthur exclaimed, visibly fuming. The he looked up at Merlin,

"I suppose you think you can pull the sword." Arthur sarcastically at Merlin.

Merlin shook his head, "I can remove the sword but it isn't my destiny to do so Arthur." The warlock said quietly. Merlin paused, then,

"Why don't you try Arthur?"

Arthur felt his nerves spike at Merlin's words and tearing his gaze from his lying friend, he looked for the hundredth time at the sword. The sword was the most beautiful weapon Arthur had ever seen and every time he looked at it there was something in him that recognized the sword on some level. Arthur knew that without Merlin's subtle prompting Arthur would never have touched the sword because the very thought of wielding it frightened Arthur in ways he couldn't even comprehend.

As Arthur looked at Merlin the prince knew that somehow Merlin understood everything Arthur was feeling.

_"I've always tried to protect you"_ Arthur remembered Merlin saying.

Arthur knew Merlin. Or at least he thought he did.

And Merlin had never, ever, given Arthur any doubt as to his loyalty to himself and to Camelot. Arthur had always laughed when Merlin had said things like, _"Do you know how many times I've had to save your royal backside?"_ or _"I'm going to be right where I always am. Right by your side, protecting you."_

Arthur had laughed because the very idea that Merlin could protect him was completely incredible. But what if all those times Merlin had actually been serious because he knew he could protect him by using magic?

Arthur looked at the sword again and slowly, with his thoughts turning he went and stood before it.

If Merlin was a sorcerer, Arthur was going to be pissed. He was going to be angry because Merlin had lied to him, possibly for a long time. In addition to anger Arthur also realized that that anger would go a little deeper because obviously Merlin hadn't trusted Arthur the way Arthur had trusted him. And if the tale was mostly true, Arthur guessed that maybe there were other "tales" that Merlin would have to tell Arthur and the prince realized that he'd better get used to this shock he was feeling.

However, despite the anger, hurt, and lies Arthur was going to have to come to terms with and eventually get over, he knew...he just _knew_ that Merlin was first and foremost, his friend. And just because friends make mistakes (like not telling Arthur about his magic), and they sometimes lied to protect you even when you didn't need that kind of protecting, they were still your friend and they deserved a second chance.

Arthur came to these conclusions as he stood in front of the sword, and the closer he had gotten the stronger the pull he had felt and now it was practically humming. Arthur looked at Merlin again, saw the distress on his face and wanted to somehow convey that everything would be okay but first he needed too pull this damn sword out and shut it up because this _feeling_ was driving him crazy.

So Prince Arthur of Camelot reached out and wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword and with one hand and a simple tug the sword slid out of the stone like it was being pulled through air. There was no sound, no clank, just the feel of warm steel in his hand. Arthur held the sword in front of him with both hands and marveled at how completely _right_ it felt and he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face.

Then a sudden, instant thought broke through the haze his mind had been in ever since he found out Merlin was a sorcerer. In the tale this sword had been meant for...

Arthur swiveled his gaze to meet Merlin's as he finally grasped what everyone else had already guessed.

He was the Once and Future King.

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><p><strong>Okay so thoughts?<strong>

**And just so everyone knows I had always planned to have the story come the actual place where the sword was, the whole story thing was just so I could get there without being too random. So hopefully everyone liked it and it lived up to expectations. If there are any errors please feel free to let me know. I had the whole thing pretty good and then I forgot to save it and signed me out so I had to go back and re-do shit which was slightly disheartening and its what delayed this chapter by like 5 hours.**

**Again sorry for the delay and Happy Harry Potter day! I'm going to the midnight showing so it starts a little early for me. SOO excited! YAY!**


	4. Future King

**This is a week late.**

**In my small and humble defense I have been traveling almost no stop and have also recently re-discovered the joys of netflix and so have been summarily distracted. I apologize profusely. Oh and before I let you get to reading I left an annoying AN at the bottom in regards to the next (?) chapter so if you'd like a say and decide to not just leave it up to me, then feel free to comment and write me thoughts. I would love to read them. **

**Thank you to all my reviewers. **

**I know this is repetitive but whatever, I love you guys and I'm going to tell you at the beginning of every chapter so whaat? Hehe**

**And for all of you who are like me and don't enjoy going back to reread the last line of the previous chapter I have posted it here just for you.**

**(cue deep voice) Previously on To Tell a Tale...**

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><p><em>Then a sudden, instant thought broke through the haze his mind had been in ever since he found out Merlin was a sorcerer. In the tale this sword had been meant for...<em>

_Arthur swiveled his gaze to meet Merlin's as he finally grasped what everyone else had already guessed._

_He was the Once and Future King._

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Future King<strong>

Merlin could see Arthur's conundrum.

His friend was in a state of shock and this emotion had obviously addled his mind because all Arthur had done for the past five minutes was stare, unseeingly, at the sword that he was holding in his hands. No one had dared to make a move or a sound. Even Gwaine, it seemed was still in awe of the events unfolding around him and couldn't even tease Arthur about loosing his kingly wits.

After another long beat Arthur finally opened his mouth,

"How much of that tale was the truth Merlin?" He asked in a dull voice, still staring at the gleaming sword. Merlin sighed and bounded over to stand before Arthur, his step light because of the unquenchable hope that was beginning to spark in his heart. Still, he knew how grave this situation was so he answered tentatively,

"I mostly just changed names, uh, and I guess a few things got added and turned around but it's mainly just the names."

Arthur nodded as if Merlin had just told him what the weather was like.

"I see."

"And why do you think I'm this King?" Arthur intoned.

"Well…" Merlin began hesitantly, but Arthur looked up quickly, his blue eyes flashing a warning that Merlin understood all too well. No more lies.

"The dragon told me." Merlin blurted out.

Arthur's lips pursed and he gave an exaggerated nod,

"Of course, how stupid of me. A dragon told you that I would be a great king."

"Well actually, it was more than that, you see you have this great destiny to fulfill, which I didn't believe at first because you were such an ass when we first met remember? I pretty much hated you." Merlin's attempt at humor didn't seem to be working at all.

Arthur's face took on a look of concentration as his mind flew back to that first day he had met Merlin. He had no problem recalling, because how could he forget that obnoxious idiot who had dared challenge the king's son and heir? Arthur had often thought back to that day whenever Merlin did something "brave" or said something that hinted that he was more than he seemed. Arthur had frequently wondered how Merlin had gotten such a high opinion of himself since it was quite obvious the man couldn't wield any sort of weapon, including his fists, and yet he seemed to think he could do anything...

"_Do I know you?"_

"_Uh, I'm Merlin."_

"_So I don't know you?"_

"_No."_

"_Yet you called me friend."_

"_My mistake."_

"_Yes I think so."_

"_I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass."_

"_Or I one who could be so stupid, tell me Merlin do you know how to walk on your knees?"_

"_I wouldn't if I were you."_

"_What are you going to do to me?"_

"_You have no idea."_

Then later that week he had seen the boy again and couldn't resist goading him, because although he hadn't recognized it yet, Arthur had valued Merlin's temerity. They had exchanged words, and Merlin had called him a royal ass, which wasn't at all surprising now but then…

"_I could take you apart with one blow." Arthur had stated factually, wanting to make this upstart understand the danger he was in._

"_I could take you apart with less than that." Merlin had boldly countered, his face utterly determined and sincere, like he had truly believed he could defeat him. _

"You were using magic back then." Arthur declared in enlightenment.

Merlin nodded, "Yes."

Arthur's jaw clenched.

"All this time you've been practicing magic? This WHOLE time!" Arthur yelled. His anger that had been building since last night finally exploded and in one move he had the sword pointed at Merlin's throat.

The knights tensed.

"Arthur!" Gwen gasped reaching her arm out in alarm and Lancelot stopped Gwaine from interfering with a deft hand on the knight's chest. Gwaine gave Lancelot a warning look but Lancelot shook his head once, "This needs to happen" he murmured never once taking his eyes off of Arthur and Merlin.

"If he does something-" Gwaine muttered harshly under his breath, staring at Merlin with deep concern.

"He won't. He's just upset." Lancelot answered quickly.

"You'd better be right." Gwaine replied.

They were cut off from further discussion because in the seconds since he had made his threatening move Arthur took a step closer, his arm still outstretched, causing Merlin to take a few hasty steps back.

"You've been a sorcerer all this time? Since the first day I met you?" Arthur's voice was as cool as the steel he was holding.

"All this time you've been LYING to me! How can I _ever_ trust you Merlin? For all I know this could be some big plot to kill my father, make me king and then either kill me or use me as your puppet huh? Is that your plan? In cahoots with Nimueh or Morgause are you? Maybe both for all I know. I _trusted_ you and you betrayed me, I-"

Here Arthur was cut off.

The prince hadn't been paying attention to Merlin since he had mentioned his father, all he had noticed was that Merlin had been listening to him- like usual- with his mouth open in what Arthur had assumed was fear and consternation (which was good because Merlin _should_ be fearing for his life right about now), but then he had continued on obliviously, assuming that, naturally, he could go on and Merlin would just listen to him.

Merlin couldn't remember ever being this angry with Arthur. Merlin shouted out in frustration,

"UGH will you listen to yourself Arthur! Do you understand how utterly STUPID you sound?" Merlin yelled, his voice bringing an abrupt wind that swiftly swept through the clearing. Merlin might have noticed if not for the fact that he was too busy being outraged at Arthur's brash accusations.

"No, you know what Arthur? You guessed it! You guessed my evil little plan! First I have to SOMEHOW, because its been so hard you see, find a way to kill him! Hmm, how am I to do that huh?" Merlin had sidestepped Arthur's sword, and was now slowly closing the distance between himself and the prince, his voice was raised, his eyes were fierce and the wind had picked up.

"That stupid sword your holding right now, do you remember, well nevermind of course you wouldn't remember, but this sword that _I_ had made for _you_, saved your father's life when that wraith was going to kill him. It exploded into a bunch of bats and you were locked in your room. Do you remember that? And alright, maybe that time it was unintentional but what I did still saved his life!"

A window to the past opened and Merlin memories were building, and he came to the conclusion that that there were actually quite a few times where he had intentionally saved Uther's life.

He snapped his fingers in Arthur's face,

"Right, how about when your precious father married that troll huh? You remember that one don't you? I told you she was a troll but you didn't believe me- what else is new, you _never_ believe me even though I'm _always_ right. Pretty positive she was going to kill Uther and take over the kingdom, and _who_ went down to the dragon and begged for an answer? I remember I got a vase dropped on my head for my effort."

"Oh, and let's not forget that I stopped _you_ from killing the king. Which, if you would just think about it for a SECOND, would have been the oportune moment to say goodbye to Uther because I wouldn't have had to do anything! And there's more isn't there? The Knights of Medir, they wanted to kill your father and if I hadn't broken the spell."

Merlin gritted his teeth because he didn't like thinking about that day, but he continued on, hardly missing a beat because he was SO pissed and and he couldn't take it anymore. The wind was now quite strong, and centered around Merlin, who Arthur realized belatedly, must be causing it subconsciously.

"Then Morgana and Morgause used an enchantment to drive your father insane and _I_ found out what it was and _I _removed it when it would have been SO easy to just let it kill him because honestly, Uther deserved it. But you know what Arthur, your right, I've been trying to kill your father for the past four years. I guess I'm just really, really bad at it!" Merlin shouted at the prince sarcastically. But Merlin had started with his temper and now he couldn't just stop.

"And lets not even get started on how many times Gaius and I have saved YOU! You Arthur Pendragon, are a full time job! Keeping you alive and keeping Camelot safe is my life's work! Who wants to kill Arthur this time huh? Oh no, its an all powerful sorcerer come back from the dead, no its some bandits in the woods, no it's a dragon, oh wait no, its his OWN BLOODY SISTER!"

"You can accuse me of lying to you Arthur, but that is ALL I will allow you to say because I have done _nothing_ but protect you, Camelot, and _your father_, for the past FOUR YEARS. I know its my fault that you don't know but you have no idea what I've been through for you and I won't just stand here and let you say it."

The wind was practically howling now and Arthur had to shield his eyes against its force.

"My sister? Morgana?" Arthur yelled back, his mind frantically attempting to process and understand what Merlin was raving about.

"Yes, Morgana! She and her sister have only been trying to kill you this past year! You, Uther and anyone else who stood in their way of ruling Camelot, she even tried to have Gwen killed as I recall. I had to turn into an old man, which of course, _of course_, got a bit messy because really, that's just my life. The only good thing about that experience was that I got to tell Uther what I really thought of him, and I got to call you names. But then I almost got executed myself and so that severely lessened the 'fun'."

Merlin was no longer yelling and his anger had deflated because he also realized that although he understood the injustice of these accusations, Arthur _didn't._ Merlin also understood that Arthur was speaking rashly because he was hurt and upset, and he was finally coming the conclusion that everything the prince thought he knew was about to undergo a serious makeover and he wasn't exactly taking it well. So Merlin let his temper dissipate, satisfied that his words had gotten through to Arthur.

"You- you saved Gwen?" Arthur asked in a tone of incredibility, a memory of the weird, crazy sounding man that Arthur had caught in his chambers, that old man with a familiar pair of blue eyes….

"Oh God, that _was_ you. I thought, I asked if we had met but I…" Arthur trailed off quietly but Merlin seemed to not have heard him because he continued on without breaking his pacing.

"Morgana tried to kill me? And Gwen? She…she wanted to destroy Camelot?" Arthur asked brokenly, his emotions having reached a irrevocable breaking point. Merlin turned deftly to face the prince who had a crushed look on his face. Merlin shoulders slumped and he heaved a laden breath as the wind slowly died out till it was nothing but a natural rustling through the leaves.

"Arthur I-" Merlin began haltingly,

"I don't understand, I mean, I know now obviously but what I don't see is _why_? I just- I always thought of her as a sister, as she is, as it turns out…I just don't know how it happened." Arthur muttered brokenly, completely overcome by everything. The prince sagged to the forest floor, the sword falling from his grip to rest beside him and Arthur stared at the gleaming silver as he fought back the urge to cry.

Gwen made a move towards Arthur but once again Lancelot subtly held her back and when she looked up at him in puzzlement he shook his head. Gwen, in all her wisdom seemed to comprehend what Sir Lancelot was trying to convey because she made no further movements to comfort the man she loved. Merlin moved quickly though and put his hand on Arthur shoulders and kneeled down and spoke, his voice pleading,

"Arthur, please believe me…what happened with Morgana, that had nothing to do with you. Ever since you found out about her I've wanted to explain- to tell you that you shouldn't blame yourself for anything concerning her. Morgana knew exactly what she was doing, and her actions are her own. She passed the point of redemption a long time ago Arthur and the blame for not saving her lies with me and me alone." Arthur had looked up at Merlin as the young man spoke and here he was again, that wise old sage in a young man's body. Arthur could see the weight of the world in his earnest blue eyes, that tremendous weight that Arthur had felt so often was his alone to endure. Arthur shook his head in defeat,

"How much of the story am I missing Merlin? How many more tales do you have to tell me?" He asked, his voice tiered and humble as he looked up at his manservant. Merlin smiled ruefully,

"Quite a few I'm afraid." He replied. Arthur heaved a sigh, closed his eyes for a second and then opened them with a nod at Merlin. The warlock stood up again and moved away so Arthur could stand back up, the sword once again firmly in his grip.

"Very well Merlin. You have stuff to tell me and I think I am finally ready to listen. But I don't want to talk here. We will all go back to Camelot, sit around the Round Table and you will tell us what we need to know, about everything." Arthur began walking toward the horses as he talked, and his movements and words had the other knights and Gwen following his lead. Arthur was anxious to get home now because he wanted to hear exactly what had happened with Morgana.

"But-"

"No buts Merlin." Arthur cut him off. "We need to get going if we're going to reach Camelot before nightfall."

"Arthur-"

"We need to hurry because my father is expecting me back tonight you understand?"

"ARTHUR!" Merlin yelled. Arthur, and the rest of them paused in their various actions of getting ready to mount up the horses. Merlin, who had not followed Arthur and was still standing by the stone, slowly walked halfway back to the group.

"The sword Arthur." Merlin said.

Arthur straigtened in bewilderment, and glanced at the weapon he was still gripping in his hand.

"What about the sword?" Arthur asked, instinctively holding it tighter.

"You said the sword was mine. It was meant for me wasn't it?" He asked defensively.

"It is meant for you. Well, what I mean is, I had it made for you." Merlin replied.

"Yes, and?" Arthur prompted.

"Well, there are two problems here. The first is that, unlike the tale, I have _not_ obtained permission for the sword's continued use, and although I could possibly do that easily enough, there remains the fact that you, Arthur Pendragon, are not yet King of Camelot."

Arthur's mouth dropped open,

"What do you mean, I don't get to keep it?" He all but whined as disappointment slammed him and he looked at the sword longingly. Merlin shook his head, fighting back a smile.

"Not yet."

Arthur seemed to deflate.

"He's going to pout isn't he?" Gwaine muttered under his breath, a smile already spreading across his face. Gwen giggled softly and Lancelot grinned.

Luckily for Gwaine, Arthur did not hear him.

"Fine then." He growled and stalked back across the meadow, past Merlin, and again stood in front of the stone. Arthur, now knowing he couldn't keep the best sword he had ever held, wanted to get rid of it quickly. Arthur lifted it above his head and prepared to shove it belligerently back from where it came, but quickly he realized that the there was no place for him to put it back.

"Uh…" Arthur paused and looked at Merlin in confusion.

"It's gone."

Merlin rolled his eyes and walked to Arthur, "Of course it's gone! Magic can't alter nature forever." Merlin looked at Arthur appraisingly, "Maybe I should teach you about magic,." He contemplated, still surveying the prince who shirked back from his manservant's intense stare. Merlin thought about all the times Arthur had almost died, was fooled by people (him included), and generally behaved in a stupid way wherever magic was concerned.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Merlin answered his own statement, and then after another second of scrutinizing Arthur, who in turn was very uncomfortable and could not even come to his own defense, nodded as if confirming something for himself,

"We'll begin that immediately, Gaius will help. Can't have a king who knows nothing about magic because despite what your father thinks, magic is _not_ just going to slink back into the Earth. It was here before man, and it will remain long after we're gone. Do you understand?"

Arthur nodded quickly, feeling suddenly like he was a child again.

"Right then, give me the sword please." Merlin asked, holding out his hand.

In that moment after Merlin's request for the sword, Arthur realized exactly what it was he was about to witness, or more than that, that he was about to see Merlin in his true form. He would have been more apprehensive but a sudden excitement gripped him. He hadn't always hated magic like his father, there was once a time when he thought magic was rather interesting. Gwen, Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, Leon, and Perceval had collectively come to this conclusion as well and without really being aware, they had all taken steps forward.

Arthur handed Merlin the sword and stepped back.

Merlin took a familiar stance, and with the sword gripped firmly by the hilt with both hands, he raised it above his head so it cleared the stone and then he simply did what he did last time- he thought of what he wanted. He wanted no one to be able to pull it out except the one true king (with an emphasis on the _king_ part), and then his head moved a fraction, and his eyes turned gold.

Arthur watched from close up and he imagined he could feel the magic eminating from Merlin.

Merlin brought his hands down and everyone watched as the sword slid effortlessly into the stone, the area around it sparking a fierce red color until it rested in the exact place it had last time. When Merlin released the hilt he paused and then, his eyes still gold and a smirk on his face, wrote the inscription on the stone with only an outstretched hand and some concentration. When he was done the gold faded from his eyes until they were back to their normal color, and everyone, who had been waiting with bated breath, finally relaxed.

"There see, now it's like in my story." Merlin said with a smile, oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

"And don't even try and sneak back out here to get it because I've spelled it so that only the right _king_ can pull it out."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Fine." He muttered and then he smiled and threw his arm around Merlin's shoulder,

"I'll say this once _Mer_lin. That was excellent."

Merlin smiled and let Arthur lead him back to his horse. Everyone else turned again and began mounting up, a feeling of new lightness in the air.

Merlin was the last one to mount and when Arthur turned his gelding to see where he was he found his manservant leaning against his horse, with his hands on the saddle, his eyes closed.

"Merlin."

That one familiar well-known word coming from Arthur shook Merlin out of his contemplative state. The young warlock looked up at his prince and future king.

"Let's go home now." Arthur said.

There was no 'it's going to be okay', or 'I forgive you', but what it was was hope, and Merlin had lived his whole life based on hope. So with an answering smile Merlin clambered onto his horse and followed his friends.

"So where did that bloody deer get to anyway?" Gwaine yelled as the group began making their way out of the clearing.

"Why?" Lancelot asked.

"You're not going to kill that deer! It was obviously magical." Gwen countered, a firm tone to her voice.

"Yeah, it's thanks to that deer that Merlin finally opened his mouth and told me the truth." Arthur grumbled.

"Gwaine, I can't believe your still thinking about that deer, after everything." Elyan said.

Gwaine said nothing in reply and there was silence for a few moments, then…

"Gwaine, why do you still want to find that deer?" Leon asked inquisitively, and Gwaine, who had been sulking atop his horse burst out in defense,

"Well does anyone else know how we're going to get out of this place? I don't even remember how we got here! Have none of you realized that we're lost?"

"Well Merlin's been here, so he should know." Perceval spoke reasonably.

"Oh please, Merlin has all the sense of direction of a slug. He won't remember- OW!"

A branch, seemingly out of nowhere smacked Arthur in the face. The prince was not fooled and turned to glare at Merlin.

"Well, do you remember then Oh Mighty Sorcerer!"

"Its Mighty Warlock, and uh…no, not really."

"Great"

"Does anyone know any deer calls?"

"Shut up Merlin."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay! Whew, I'm glad that part is over, it was really hard to write. I know that everything didn't get explained, but I figured that in the heat of argument Arthur wouldn't notice some things, and Merlin wouldn't remember to tell him some things (like that Nimueh is dead, or that Lancelot knew about Merlin's magic). I was a little surprised at the way this went, but I had this picture in my head and this is how I wanted to write it. I figured it wasn't the time to reveal to Arthur that Lancelot knew and to be honest I didn't want to write that situation right now.<strong>

**I felt like I needed to have Merlin get angry and I felt like I needed to have Arthur fully understand Merlin's loyalty. And yes, I know that Elyan, Perceval and Leon were kind of side liners in the story, but I wanted them to be there because they're all going to be friends and I wanted everyone to know everything. No more flippin' secrets! Haha**

**Anyway, I think this might be the last chapter. I'm hesitating on it because I may feel like writing more but I feel like it wouldn't be as awesome as everyone thinks it will be, because it would just be Merlin explaining things to Arthur and co. and Arthur being shocked and surprised and probably angry. But if anyone wants to read that, now would be the time to let me know. If not, I will probably just do a short epilogue of the post confession. Let me know your opinion if you have one!**

**Thank you for reading.**


	5. Reveal pt 1

**Alright! Here is my update! **

**Most people who reviewed were quite persuasive in their appeals to have me write more. And I put myself in their shoes and realized that I would be a little perturbed too if the author had threatened to stop writing. So here it is folks, took a little longer because writing this part is _hard_! It took me forever. But hey, at least its written. I broke it down into two parts so I could give you something without waiting another month.**

**Now please keep in mind the tenor of the story so far. Its not a super serious/realistic story so this reveal is going to be like that too. I didn't want to write angsty Arthur or Merlin, and the reveal in the show is probably going to be much more serious. So...just remember that and cut me some slack. **

**Okay and the main reason I posted this chapter as a two-parter despite the fact that I really did want to give you guys something, was so I could ask a question. Didn't want to send ya'll an alert and have it not be a chapter so I got my ass in gear, wrote this, and now I'm going to ask a question...**

**QUESTION: For those of you Americans out there who do not live in BBC land, could you tell me how you plan to watch Season 4 of Merlin? I do have BBC America but I don't know if Merlin's on that one. And if its not then that means that I need to find some other means of watching it. I hope this is a stupid question and some smarty pants will review and be like, _duh_, of _course_ its on BBC America, and then I can be all happy again. But just in case, I'm taking preemptive measures because October is almost here. Even if you just review to reply to this question I will be extremely thankful. **

**So go on and read now, and obviously, reviews on the story are awesome too and I LOVE reading them. Just think about it. **

**ON TO STORY!**

* * *

><p>"Here is the deal Merlin. I will ask you questions and you will answer them <em>honestly<em>, understand?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

Arthur was speaking to Merlin as he walked, or rather paced in front of his manservant. Merlin was seated next to Arthur's empty chair, and around the round table, in no particular order sat Gwen, Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon, Perceval, and Elyan.

When the group had gotten back from the 'hunt' Arthur had instructed them all to clean up, change, and report to the council room in two hours. Merlin, after helping Arthur change and get ready in relative silence, had barely had a chance to wash up himself, and briefly explain to a very upset Gaius, exactly what had happened before he had to rush away. Gaius of course, had wanted to go with him but Merlin had refused.

"I need to settle this Gaius. It's my responsibility and Arthur deserves to know now. He's not going to have my lopped off just yet." Merlin had said the last part cheekily, the obvious humor falling of deaf ears. Gaius had _not_ been amused.

Arthur continued his slow pacing for a moment longer before turning to face the round table.

He addressed them seriously,

"I trust each and every person in this room, and so I thought it would only be fair for us all to be present. I don't like secrets and although sometimes they are necessary-" Here Arthur shot a glance in Merlin's direction.

"I don't want to keep them from any of you. We're all on the same side here so…"

Merlin cut him off, "I told you I would come clean, but it's difficult for me to know where to begin. Its actually easier if you just ask me questions, so, good idea. Thanks."

Arthur paused, his head tilted as he contemplated whether or not he _wanted_ to make it easier for Merlin. Oh wait, what did Merlin just say?

"Hmm, there's that many huh? What exactly have you been up to these past four years." Arthur murmered, eyeing his manservant speculatively, making Merlin flinch and shift in his seat awkwardly, about to bow his head at the obvious chastisement, but there was this new side of him popping up again, and it wasn't about to let Arthur win, not anymore. They had always been equals, just now Arthur knew it, and although it may be unsettling for the prince, he was just going to have to get used to it.

So instead of slumping in his chair Merlin sat up again and pipped in a cheerful voice,

"Protecting you, protecting Camelot, being your manservant, trying to learn and understand my magic. This past year its been much the same but I've also had the pleasure of dodging Morgana's glares, and trying not to panic every time I caught her smirking like she just swallowed a bird whole. That's all really."

There was a pause, as everyone eyed Merlin, who was surprisingly, smiling quite merrily.

"It's strange because even though I should be anxious, and I probably will be when you start, but actually, I'm quite happy right now. I'm happy that you all know. You don't know how long I've been hiding this, and I've always dreamed of this moment but I didn't expect to feel this… content." Merlin said simply, still smiling.

Arthur scoffed to mask his feelings, but Gwen put a hand on Merlin's arms and returned his large grin with a soft smile of her own.

"I can't imagine keeping such a big secret for four years." She told him.

"Oh yeah, well its actually been a life-secret." Merlin replied with an embarrassed ear-scratch.

"What do you mean?" Lancelot asked before Arthur could.

"You think my mother wasn't strict about anyone finding out about my magic? It was hard because sometimes I couldn't control it, but surprisingly, no one ever found out. Except Will that is, and she was so angry about that too." Merlin replied in a somber tone. Thinking of Will again made him feel extremely sad.

"Exactly how long have you had magic Merlin?" Arthur shot out in a startled voice.

"All my life I think. Mum says I was moving objects, freezing things, and generally making her crazy since before I could walk or talk." Merlin replied in a thoughtful tone.

No one said anything, and Arthur could only look at Merlin in amazement.

"Okay, that was unexpected. One of the questions was going to be when you learned magic, but I see that it's a moot point now." Arthur said slowly.

"Well its true that I've always _had_ magic, but I didn't start learning spells and things until after I came to Camelot." Merlin replied.

"Really? How the hell did you manage that?" Arthur asked, surprised that not only had magic been used in Camelot but also learnt here as well. It was almost too disasterous to contemplate.

"Oh well…" Merlin trailed off, causing Arthur to glare at him when Merlin didn't continue.

"Arthur if you think about it, I'm sure you'll come up with the reason for Merlin's hesitancy to answer right now." Lancelot spoke up quietly.

"Huh?" Arthur turned to him in surprise at the comment. Was it really that obvious? Arthur paused in thought. Why would Merlin not want to tell him how he learned spells? Did it involve another pers-

"Oh. OH! No way!" Arthur exclaimed in understanding.

"Gaius? He taught you magic?" Arthur asked, his voice raised in accusation. Merlin experienced a few moments of panic before his emotions settled into calm determination.

"Gaius did not _teach_ me magic, what he did do, and has been doing this whole time, is helping me. He did give me the magic book from which I learned how to use and control my magic, and he's been helping me with _everything_. I could never have succeeded without Gaius."

"I would trust Gaius." Leon said from his spot across the table, nodding his head for extra confirmation. After a beat Arthur nodded,

"You're right, of course you're right."

Merlin sighed in relief, his good mood reasserting itself.

"Alright then, what next?" Merlin asked, reaching for a grape and popping it into his mouth with a smile. Since they were sure to be in here for a while, as Arthur had put it, "discussing matters of extreme importance", he had ordered that food be brought down and Merlin, who was usually always hungry, was taking full advantage of it.

Arthur's eyes narrowed at Merlin's flippancy and he pursed his lips, thinking.

"I want to know about Morgana, but first, first I will ask you a few basic questions to get a feeling for how much you've been hiding from me."

The smile on Merlin's face faltered slightly but he sat up straighter and nodded, "I told you I would answer all you're questions."

"When was the first time you saved Camelot?" Arthur asked, his voice taking on an interrogator's tone.

"Uh, that depends on what you mean by 'saving' exactly."

"How are there different kinds of saving?"Arthur asked incredulously.

"Well, are you talking about just run of the mill saving or complete destruction here? There's a huge difference." Merlin answered matter-of-factly.

Everyone was gaping at him now.

Arthur blinked, trying not to blow up.

"What exactly is a run-of-the-mill saving?" Arthur asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Okay well, let me think." Merlin said, drudging up old memories and instances.

"There was the plague a few months after I got to Camelot, I remember that because of Nimueh. Then the troll counts I think, and Cornelius Sigan, he definitely tried to destroy Camelot, then those knights Morgause brought back to life, then then," Merlin paused,

Arthur sputtered defiantly, his mind still centered on the first thing Merlin said.

"I destroyed the Afanc!"

"Yes you did." Merlin replied calmly, trying not to grin because Arthur would quite probably hit him at this point.

"But it was Gaius and I that found out what it was. It's a creature born of earth and water so we needed fire and wind to destroy it. You had provided the fire and I the wind, so really it was our first team effort." He answered.

"Ugh, well that's just… And you defeated Sigan? I guess I _did_ wonder…" He trailed off, as he went through each instance Merlin had mentioned in his mind.

"And okay the troll, I'll give you that one, I should have listened to you about both times. I remember that you warned me about Cedric too…" Arthur turned to Merlin, suddenly embarrassed,

"I _am_ sorry about that Merlin." He mumbled. Now it was Merlin's turn to gape.

"Never thought I'd see the day…" Gwaine mumbled a retort, to which Arthur ignored.

"Th- thank you Arthur." Merlin replied, equally uncomfortable but also deeply pleased.

There was a pause then and Lancelot, who had remained silent throughout all of this took a deep breath and stood up,

"There was also the Griffin." He said solemely.

"The Griffin?" Gwen spoke up questioningly

"Lancelot, didn't you kill the Griffin?" Arthur asked after a moment.

"No I didn't, Merlin did." Lancelot replied.

Arthur's gaze shot back to Merlin, "You did?"

"It could only be destroyed by magic. I enchanted Lancelot's lance. But he didn't know it was enchanted until he had already charged at it." Merlin answered quickly in Lancelot's defense.

"Merlin saved my life."

"Wait, wait, if you knew…" Arthur straightened in understanding, his eyes widened.

"That's why you left." He stated factually. Lancelot nodded warily, waiting for the other ball to drop but it already had, Arthur had put the pieced together.

"You knew. You knew about Merlin's magic." Arthur's lips pursed as he fought against his overwhealming anger.

"Arthur, I wouldn't have told Lancelot if he hadn't found out. I swear." Merlin said softly, somehow knowing exactly what Arthur was thinking.

"I can not believe this!" Gwaine exclaimed, standing up too.

"Lancelot knew before _me?_" He yelled, shooting a wounded glance at Merlin.

"He's known me longer!" Lancelot defended.

"Well actually I was his first friend in Camelot, if anyone had the right to find out first it would have been me." Gwen stated, trying to point out the ridiculousness of the situation. Arthur, to his credit, did not say anything.

"Can we not fight about something so pointless? It doesn't matter anymore." Gwen reprimanded them, but the own hurt in her voice was not completely masked.

Merlin had had enough though, he pounded a fist on the table to get everyone's attention,

"If it makes anyone in this room feel better, I've never _told_ anyone about my magic okay? My mom knew because she raised me, Will found when we were younger, and I saved Gaius from a bad fall on the first day I came to Camelot, so that's how he discovered it. Yesterday was the first time I've ever said it out loud. It had nothing to do with any of you. This is my problem. I was trained from a young age to never, _ever,_ tell anyone, not only because of me but because everyone here knows how knowledge itself can put people in danger. I didn't want to cause any of you any trouble."

Merlin's determined tone of voice had faded towards the end and after speaking he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Were you ever planning to tell me Merlin?" Arthur asked curiously after the few moments it took him to digest and find yet another thing to respect about Merlin. What Merlin had just said about not putting others in danger resounded with the prince, especially when it involved Gwen. Knowing about Merlin would have put her in danger.

"I was going to tell you when you were king. That was the plan." Merlin shrugged, "Obviously, fate had other ideas."

"Obviously."

Arthur took a few deep breaths, processing what Merlin had said, altering his views on certain matters concerning how things happened. Now that he thought about it, as ridiculous as Merlin having magic was, having someone within Camelot with magic was the only thing that really made sense besides the fact that Camelot just had a lot of luck. Magic was battling magic. If he had had to guess though, he would have assumed it was Gaius, not _Merlin_, who had magic.

And Merlin hadn't planned to tell him until he was king?

"You didn't want to pit me against my father did you? That's why you wanted to wait until I was king?" Arthur spoke as he came to that realization.

Merlin gave him a half-smile, "Of course not Arthur. He's your father and you love him. I knew it would be hard to for you to choose between him and me, and I didn't want you to have to make that kind of decision. It would have been unfair."

Arthur took a breath as he stared at Merlin,

"Maybe at first, but after a while…" Arthur paused and nodded his head as he became sure of what he was about to say,

"After a while…I would have chosen you Merlin."

Merlin head shot up and his mouth feel open in shock.

"Sure, I would have probably still been pissed, but I know - I _know_ I would have chosen to shield you from my father, because although he is my father and I do love him…you can love someone and still know they're wrong can't you?"

Merlin's mouth opened and closed a few times.

"You almost sounded like a friend just now you know?" He muttered, his heart feeling as if it would burst, he blinked back his tears.

Arthur grinned, "Almost huh?"

Gwaine laughed, Lancelot smiled, the other knights chuckled but Gwen rolled her eyes,

"Men!" She exclaimed under her breath, shaking her head, her brown eyes positively glowing with delight.

"Okay, I finally understand why you didn't tell me. I understand and I accept it and I accept you…whatever the hell you are. We will not bring up the subject of Merlin's secrecy again. We will move on now to more important matters." Arthur declared emphatically, then he turned and addressed Merlin again.

"Merlin are those time you saved Camelot using magic…are those the only significant instances I should know about?"

"We haven't finished talking about each time though!" Gwaine complained.

"I _know that_, I just want to know how much there is!" Arthur said, exasperated glaring at Gwaine, who merely grinned back. Merlin spoke up quickly,

"Not exactly. Don't forget all those times I saved you, which coincidently again, can fall under the 'Save Camelot' category since without you Camelot would be in pretty big trouble don't you think?"

Arthur smiled at the compliment, "Why thank you Merlin- uh wait, wait, _wait_, you haven't saved me _that_ many times!"

Merlin just stared at him, and then when Arthur started to sputter indignantely, the warlock reached for a sliced piece of meat that was laying on the platter in front of him and took a large bite.

"Arthur, you know its my destiny to save you." Merlin said while he chewed.

"Everything…the fate of Camelot, fate of magic etc…, including me, all revolve around making sure you don't get chopped to bits, beheaded, or blasted dead with magic. If I were to write down all the times I've saved _you_, I would be writing a book. A very long, very frustrating, book."

Arthur swallowed hard and blinked,

"That many? Truly?" He asked.

"What's up princess? You're startin' to look a little green there..." Gwaine chimed up, a mock look of concern on his face.

Elyan shook his head and elbowed the other knight in the arm,

"This is serious Gwaine." He muttered under his breath.

"Well of course its serious! Merlin has magic and not only that as it turns out, but our skinny young friend is also a hero. I should have guessed sooner." And here Gwaine sighed dramatically,

"But anyway, I remember a time when he saved your royal arse." The knight said with a mischevious smirk on his face.

Merlin smiled because he knew what Gwaine was referring too and so did Arthur it seemed because the prince glanced at Merlin sharply.

"Did you help with my quest?" He asked, his voice dark.

"Yes I did." Merlin answered with a nod. Arthur looked away from his manservant and took a deep breath.

"That quest was assigned to me to prove that I was worthy to be King, and I already knew you helped but I guess I just didn't think you did that much…."Arthur trailed off, his voice taking on a dangerous tone, "Do I even deserve the crown now?" Arthur asked as he turned to face Merlin again,

"If you saved my life all this time…if I would have been dead a hundred times over without your help…does that mean that maybe I was never meant to be king?" Merlin saw the defeated look on his face.

"Arthur no… " Gwen murmured, her head shaking back and forth, "You are the rightful King. No one can say any differently." She stated.

There were other reassuring murmers from around the table,

"I'm not serving any King but you princess." Gwaine even chimed in, his expression more subdued than it had been minutes ago.

"I should be dead though. In all fairness I should have died." Arthur replied, his voice deceptively devoid of emotion.

"Hey wait a second." Merlin finally spoke, springing up from his seat. It had taken him a while to understand what Arthur had been implying but obviously now, he was going to have to set him strait.

"For one, the reason I have such powerful magic is _because of you_, clotpole, and second, if your father hadn't angered all the sorcerers with his war against magic, none of them would have tried to kill you. So really, if you think about it, it's only fair if you have me to protect you, because no matter what, children shouldn't be punished for their parent's mistakes." Merlin paused to let his words sink it,

"And I wouldn't have gone on that quest in the first place but Morgana, the joy that she is, gave you that phoenix eye bracelet, and again, if you had known _anything_ at all about magic, or common sense for that matter, you would have realized that it was actually draining your life energy. I had to travel all that way, and get Gwaine, just so I could take it off you. Then obviously, there was another reason I had to be there but that is beside the point. Which is that you deserve to be king, Arthur, so just get those stupid ideas out of your head okay?"

Merlin took a couple breaths after his speech and sat back down. Arthur stared hard at Merlin, his lips pursed as if he was about to say something. Merlin met his gaze, his expression determined and Arthur, seeing this, nodded slightly. Arthur ran a hand through his head, applying Merlin's words to his outlook, reminding himself again that yes, he was born to be king.

He had always had knights protecting his back hadn't he? If one of them had saved him he wouldn't have ever thought that that incident meant he was supposed to die. Clearly, he was still adjusting to Merlin's magical revelations. Arthur was almost tempted to halt the inquiry because what he really wanted to do was go train. He wanted to hit something multiple times over until everything made sense again. However, he knew that he had to finish this.

"Well okay then, lets keep going." Arthur said, running a hand through his already messed up hair.

"Merlin, I have a question" Leon chimed in,

"Nimueh was the sorceress who tried to kill Arthur with that poisoned chalice right? She also sent the Afanc to poison our water supply. Is she in league with Morgana and Morgause too?" He asked, his head cocked to the side in contemplation as he looked at Merlin.

"Wait, wait, you haven't told _us_ about the troll, or Sigan…we haven't been living in Camelot!" Gwaine said loudly, his voice almost whiney.

"We'll tell you later Gwaine, answer Leon's question first Merlin." Arthur said looking at Merlin with interest, reminded of the reason he had asked everyone to come to this. Obviously, he was way too involved to be able to think of the important questions.

Merlin paused for a long time, first because he was trying to figure out how to begin but then it took him longer because he realized that this story really wouldn't be understood unless…

"I will answer that question, but in order to do that and have it make sense, I have to talk about this other thing first." He answered finally, his gut clenching in sudden anxiety.

"What 'other thing'?" Arthur asked.

Merlin took a deep breath,

"I mentioned him before but I think you forgot…" Merlin trailed off, reluctant to say. After a few moments Arthur ran out of patience.

"What are you talking about?" He prompted.

"The dragon. I think we need to discuss the dragon first."

* * *

><p><strong>How was that?<strong>

**As always, I hate proofreading so if there's anything you see please, _please_ let me know so I can fix it!**

**Also if you have any comments or things you'd like to see during reveal pt. 2, alls you have to do it review huh? Not too difficult at'tal. **

**Thank you for reading,**

**-LL**


	6. Reveal pt 2

**Hallo everybody!**

**So, I know I suck for keeping you waiting this long...but, God, school is _stressful_, and Im trying to graduate next semester and I finally got a job...whoop! So I've been busy, but yeah, what else is new right? Excuses are like you-know-what, everyone has them. **

**But I finished the hardest stuff and you guys will not believe how fast I whipped this shit _out_. Not saying that its shit, because I hope its not, but you understand my meaning. I've put off reading Inheritance just for you guys, because you don't deserve to wait any longer. **

**Also, thanks to your help I have been able to watch season 4 without too much hassle. Who is even more in love with Merlin? Whose life feels like its put on hold until this season ends? (emphatically raises hand) I sure as hell do. I think I'm obsessed, and its all I can do to not be like, *Merlin* *Merlin* *I love Merlin* all the time like a quacking duck or something. I seriously hope they do the reveal this season. My brain can't take it. If anyone wants to talk about things...please PM me...I can gush about everything, and NO ONE else I know watches this show!**

**Anyway...as you can see, I have presented you with a supremely long chapter PLUS and ending! Whaaa? I know, I know...I thought we'd never get here too. But this is it for my first real story. You guys don't know how much all your reviews/story alerts meant to me, and I read and re-read every single review. As always, please let me know your thoughts and again, thank you. **

* * *

><p>"I forgot about that." Arthur said finally, shooting Merlin a look. Then everyone chimed in…<p>

"Hey, so did I! I forgot you mentioned a _dragon_!" - Gwaine

"Are you talking about the dragon Arthur killed?" - Leon

"The one who attacked Camelot? You _talked to it_!" Gwen hissed incredulously

Arthur just kept staring at Merlin, and the warlock felt uncomfortable because he had been dreading telling this story. It had been a difficult decision for him and he didn't really want to talk about it.

Arthur was still looking at him, a myriad of emotions flashing across the prince's face as he stared, first at Merlin and then at the table, running his hand across the designs carved into it's surface. Everyone was talking, making some comment or other, asking Merlin questions and voicing their opinions. After a time Arthur finally held up his hand for silence.

"You released it didn't you Merlin?"

Arthur's voice was devoid of inflection. He asked but he didn't need to, because he already knew the answer.

"You set the dragon free and it killed hundreds of people and destroyed Camelot."

Merlin had been about to reply, but instead he shut his mouth and after a moment he nodded in affirmation. There was a sudden silence, and then the exclamations resumed…

"No!"

"Merlin, you didn't!"

"That dragon burned down half of Camelot!"

Merlin waited for everyone's opinions to be fully voiced. He knew he had to take this one.

"Why would you do that? It killed so many people…"Gwen said, her voice full of emotion.

Although only four of them had been in Camelot when the dragon had been released, the other knights had heard of it, some had even heard rumors from where they had been living. A dragon attacking wasn't exactly a normal occurrence, especially since no one had seen a dragon in roughly twenty years.

Arthur finally decided to voice what he had decided was the only reason Merlin had acted so foolishly.

"Are you that stupid Merlin? Did he fool you or something? Tricked your trusting mind into letting him 'be free'? Did you think he wouldn't _attack_ the people who had held him captive? That monster destroyed Camelot, and he killed _innocent_ people!"

Merlin waited for Arthur's ire to run it course, but he had decided that just because he deserved a little punishment, especially for those innocent lives that had been lost, he didn't think he deserved to be called an idiot. So when Arthur finally shut up and just glared at him, and everyone else was quietly awaiting Merlin's defense, his next words were still unexpected.

Merlin calmly turned to face all his friends who were now giving him solemn and accusing looks, and he straitened up and leaned back in his chair, and as his hand ran across the table's wooden surface he spoke loudly but calmly,

"Actually, I knew exactly what he was going to do. When I released him, I knew the odds were slim to none of him just flying away into the sunset. The truth is that I didn't have a choice. I feel _terrible_ about what happened, and that guilt will stay with me always. However, what you all have failed to understand is that these past four years it's only been Gaius and me who have known what's really been going on."

"Leon, you asked me about Nimueh and now I can tell you that she was never in league with Morgana and Morgause because she is dead. I know because I killed her. Nimueh was trying to bring down Camelot because she hated Uther…which actually…damn, okay…" Merlin paused, an apprehensive look on his face.

"Arthur…that time you tried to kill your father because of Morgause and what she told you…all of that was true."

Arthur's eyes had never been more serious, and Gwen reassuringly put her hand on his arm, but Arthur remained quiet, his eyes intent on Merlin.

"The truth is that your mother couldn't get pregnant, so Uther asked Gaius to ask Nimueh to give him a son. She warned him that there would be a price to pay, but Uther didn't listen. I know he didn't expect Ygraine to die, and her death forever changed Uther's view of magic and after that he went after it, not just to keep it from being used for the wrong ends, but to keep it from being used at all. He wanted everything and everyone who had any sign of magic to be destroyed. I don't exactly know why, but I can assume it was to ease his grief, and most importantly his guilt. The only way I could think of to keep you from killing your father, which I knew would ruin you forever, was to lie to you. It was the most difficult thing for me to do because…well because if you had known the truth you would have seen that magic wasn't evil, and you could have accepted me. I lied and in so doing I made you hate magic even more."

Arthur had watched and listened to Merlin speak, and he felt like he should say something, respond in some way, but it was too difficult to think about it now.

"Please Merlin, just keep talking." Arthur said quietly when Merlin paused, waiting in expectation for an outburst. This silence was almost worse than Arthur's anger.

"I don't really understand what's going on…" Gwaine piped up with an expectant look.

Leon explained the situation briefly to Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, and and Perceval, and afterwards the three knights just nodded, understanding the grimness of what Merlin had just said.

Arthur had been born because of magic.

And Uther was an even bigger ass than they had all thought.

"What the hell was wrong with him?" Elyan let slip.

Arthur didn't even blink at that, because honestly, he was thinking the same thing.

"Continue Merlin" Gwen said softly, her hand on Arthur's arm, offering him the only comfort she could.

So Merlin began from the beginning.

He described the first day he heard Kilagarrah's voice to the moment he had released him. He told them about Nimueh and how he she had conjured the Questing Beast, and how Merlin had gone to trade his life for Arthur's (to which Arthur only shook his head in disbelief), and how instead of dying himself, as he expected, his mother had come to Camelot dying of a disease instead. Then he told them how Gaius had gone in Merlin's place, and how Merlin had got there just in time to kill Nimueh with lightning he had brought down from the sky.

"When I went to see Kilgarrah after that I was so angry. He had manipulated me, had _used_ me for his own purposes, and I told him I would see he was never released. He blew fire at me, I blocked it, and then I vowed he would never see me again." Merlin scoffed ruefully,

"So much for _tha_t plan, because when Sigan was destroying Camelot and Gaius and I had no idea what to do…I had no other choice. I went down to see him and asked his help. He made me promise then that someday I would free him. I had to promise you see, I thought that _someday_ meant very far in the future, and I could twist that so I wouldn't have too. At least not for a long time. Please understand Arthur, I could either chose _someday_, or watch Camelot fall. You understand don't you?" Merlin's voice was pleading.

A, "What changed?" was Arthur's only reply. Merlin lowered his head,

"Morgana." He said softly. Then he looked up at Arthur,

"When Morgause put that sleeping spell on Camelot, I went to ask the dragon's help. He refused me, said my promises didn't mean anything. I swore again that I would free him but he wouldn't believe me. In the end, I had to swear on my mother's life."

Gwen's sharp intake of breath showed that she at least understood the gravity of what Merlin had done.

Merlin smiled tightly at her, "Yeah…Kilgarrah knew that her life meant more to me than my own. He accepted it and told me how to undo the sleeping spell." Merlin suddenly stopped, like he couldn't continue.

"Merlin…" Arthur prompted.

Merlin shook his head, "It's bad Arthur. I don't want to tell you." He nearly whispered. Arthur's face took on a look of concern.

"Whatever it is Merlin…I can take it. I know I'm not doing the best job, but I will be able to handle it. And whatever you say Merlin, I _do_ trust you."

Bolstered by this show of faith, Merlin was able to continue.

"He told me that the source of the sleeping spell was Morgana."

Arthur's head shot up, his eyes slightly frantic,

"Then? That long ago? She was against Camelot?" His words hardly made sense but Merlin understood. He shook his head slowly,

"In her defense, I don't think she knew exactly what she had agreed to do, but by then of course, it was far too late. Arthur, I have many regrets where Morgana is concerned. I could have done more for her, and maybe, when she came to me, I should have told her about my magic…maybe then she wouldn't have felt so alone, and maybe then she wouldn't have turned against us like she did."

"Then why didn't you Merlin? Why didn't you save her?" Gwen asked, her voice sounding like she was holding back tears.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure Gwen. Remember, telling people about my magic is not something I do, so I always hesitated. Even when she came to me, absolutely panicking because she was afraid she had magic, I still couldn't tell her…something was always holding me back. Kilgarrah had warned me about her, he called her a witch, and said she was part of the union that would bring destruction to Camelot. I didn't believe it then, but after your father died Gwen, Morgana tried to have Uther killed. She backed out at the last minute, but still…it wasn't something she should have ever considered."

Merlin took a deep breath, ignoring the stunned looks on everyone's faces at what he had just revealed.

"Morgana was always tortured. She saw things, and no one ever believed her. She actually warned me once for you Arthur. Do you remember Sophia? You thought Morgana was jealous but she saw Sophia standing over you as you drowned. You nearly _were_ dead by the time I got there too, I-"

"Wait, what? Sophia? You told me…you said you knocked me out and brought me home!" Arthur cried indignantly.

Merlin smiled. "Sophia and her father were Sidhe, powerful fairy type creatures who rule Avalon. They got kicked out because her father killed one of their own, an act that resulted in his permanent exclusion from Avalon, but Sophia could return. Of course, she he had to sacrifice, well, she needed to sacrifice your soul to do it. I ran and saved your arse from a watery grave and then told you_ that_, because you didn't remember being brainwashed. That was the first time I saw Avalon."

Merlin paused, his mouth pursing in contemplation.

"Morgana warned me about the Questing Beast too for that matter." Merlin shook his head,

"I just wish…" But he trailed off because really, what was the point? Morgana had her loyalties now…her path was set, and so was his.

The atmosphere grew tense as Merlin made that statement in his head, not for the first time either. Everyone in the room could now see the incredible weight that Merlin had been carrying. Arthur thought that all this time he had been making all the decisions and dealing with the consequences that followed. Now though, now Arthur could see that Merlin had been fighting his own battles all along, and those battles had been far more serious and dire than he could have ever guessed. It was also starting to dawn on the prince that maybe many of those decisions and burdens Arthur himself had struggled with, Merlin had been dealing with those same issues and could never tell him because it involved magic.

"So what happened Merlin?" Gwen prompted softly, seeing that Arthur was still trying to process everything.

Merlin gave Gwen a small smile, probably the saddest smile Gwen had ever seen. The rest of the men around the table saw the pain in Merlin's eyes.

"The dragon told me that Morgana was the source of the pestilence, that she was the living vessel for Morgause's sleeping spell." Merlin gave a harsh laugh, "I like to tell myself that I couldn't believe it, but even then…I knew what she was capable of. I just didn't want to believe it."

"What did you do?" Arthur asked, realizing that the way Morgana had been kidnapped had always seemed off to him somehow.

"I asked him that." Merlin answered, his voice slower.

"I asked him how to stop her, and I'll never forget his words. He said, 'that is easy young warlock, you must kill her' and I did." Merlin said, rushing ahead, ignoring the gasp from Gwen and the reaction of the others, "After you left Arthur, I put poison in the water sack and practically begged her to drink it. She knew almost immediately what I'd done, the way she looked at me…"

"I was crying as she died in my arms, but Morgause sensed what was going on. She barged through the door and demanded to know what I'd done. I told her. She said if I told her what poison I used she could save her. I wanted that too. I didn't want to live with having killed her, someone who I still considered my friend. So I made a bargain, I told her the name of the poison in exchange for her getting rid of the knights and the sleeping spell. Morgause loved Morgana, that's one thing you didn't have to worry about, when Morgause took Morgana with her you can be sure Morgana wasn't suffering."

"Then, after Morgause had left with her, in the middle of the knight…I took one of the swords from the Medhir Knights, and I went down into the heart of Camelot, climbed down into the dragon's cave and used magic and the sword to set him free. I knew what he would do, I knew what it would most likely cost…but I did it anyway. I couldn't see another choice."

Here Merlin stopped talking, his eyes intent on watching Arthur's reaction.

Arthur was thinking about of lot of things. He was now trying to alter his view of the events to fit with what Merlin had just told him.

"Morgana still remembered what you had done when we rescued a year later her?" He asked. Merlin nodded,

"Yes, she did. She hated me." Merlin replied softly. Arthur nodded as if he had expected that answer,

"And she didn't tell us you'd poisoned her because you knew what she had done." Arthur stated.

"I can only assume that's the reason. Although, I believe she underestimated Uther's adoration for her…but I don't know. Where magic was concerned Uther was unpredictable. Also, she wanted to go back to the role of being Uther's loving, trustworthy ward so she could better try to kill him, and you. As it turns out, the truth is that I _did_ kill Morgana that day. She returned and she was never the same. She was filled with hate and no one could reach her. She lied to everyone."

Arthur shook his head, "Not to you. You knew what she was, that she wasn't lying to you."

"Actually I believed her at first. She told me she understood the mistake she had made, that she didn't understand what she was doing, that she wanted to change and that she wanted to be friends again. I believed her." Merlin responded.

"Until of course, I followed her out into the forest and got chained up by Morgause." Merlin rolled his eyes, "Sometimes I do real stupid things…" Merlin leaned back into his chair and ran a hand aggravatingly over his face, "It just got really messy after that." Merlin said, his face showing a distasteful expression as remembered the pain of being stung by the Serket.

And then when Arthur questioned him about it, the whole story was revealed about what exactly happened to Merlin in the forest.

"See Arthur," Merlin said after telling that part,

"I was dying in the forest, and I told you so but you just didn't believe me." Merlin said smugly.

Arthur's face screwed up as he tried to remember what Merlin was talking about. Eventually he did remember though, and a slight flush graced his cheeks because Merlin had fooled him so thoroughly that Arthur hardly ever questioned _anything_.

"My God Merlin, how did you survive?" Lancelot asked, his head shaking back and forth in amazement.

"You said you couldn't break out of the chains with magic." Elyan added.

Arthur looked at his knights and then looked back at Merlin with a Gaius-worthy eyebrow raised in agreement of the question.

Merlin made a face, "Uh…I called the dragon and he rescued me and healed me from the poison." Merlin muttered quickly, his eyes trained on the surface of the table.

"You _called it_? And it _listened_ to _you_?" Arthur asked incredulously, and then after a moment when Merlin didn't say anything Arthur added, "I guess I didn't kill it then?"

Arthur was not happy about that fact.

"Seems not Sire." Leon said consolingly.

Merlin still didn't reply, and he wasn't looking at anyone.

"Merlin, it sounded like you and the Dragon weren't exactly friends…why would he save you?" Perceval asked next.

There was a slight silence and then Gwaine asked, his voice steady and completely serious…

"Merlin, only Dragonlords can _call_ a dragon." Gwaine's voice went a little higher after saying the word _Dragonlord_, belaying his excitement.

"Gaius said that Balinor was the last Dragonlord though." Gwen pointed out reasonably, causing Gwaine's earnest grin to falter slightly.

Arthur had turned to Merlin though and from what he could see from Merlin's profile, the man's eyes had tightened and his jaw was clentched.

"Was Balinor the last Dragonlord Merlin?" Arthur asked directly, his voice showing his impactience with Merlin's sudden reticence.

"Yes." Merlin answered, his voice tight with emotion.

Merlin looked up then and met Arthur's eyes, and Arthur was surprised at Merlin's expression; surprised and confused.

"He _was_ the last Dragonlord. Maybe Gaius never mentioned it, but a Dragonlord's gift is passed from father to son."

Gwaine's intake of breath showed that he understood where Merlin was going, and so did everyone else moments before Merlin spoke the words himself.

"Before we left to find him Gaius asked me if my mother had ever mentioned my father, if she had said anything about him. As it turns out, Balinor was my father, and when he died his gift passed to me." Merlin's voice was bitter.

"By freeing Kilgarrah I caused my own father's death."

Gwen's eyes were tearing up because she recognized that pain in Merlin, and her heart hurt for him. She shook her head silently.

"It wasn't your fault Merlin."

"It seems that no matter how hard I try, I still fail. I just…I just loose them. And it _is_ my fault. I almost had you killed when I cured your father, I've almost lost Arthur and Camelot countless times…Will, my father, Freya…I've lost them all."

"No Merlin" Gwen replied, a sudden warmth filling her soul as she thought about what Merlin had done for her. He had given her valuable time with her father.

"I would never blame you. Never. Neither would anyone else you mentioned. You always did your best, I can see that and so can everyone else." She stated firmly, reaching over Arthur to grasp Merlin's hand.

"Merlin…I, I'm so sorry, I told you- I told you not to cry tears for any man, and I could see how upset you were but I just thought- I didn't understand-" Arthur said haltingly.

"No Arthur, there was no way you could have known." Merlin replied giving the ashamed prince a small, comforting smile.

There was a moment of silence before Arthur tentatively said outloud his revelation that Will hadn't actually been the sorcerer. Merlin chuckled a little and shook his head,

"It was all me."

"Who is Freya then?" Gwen asked after a moment. Merlin's face grew serious again,

"I loved her." Merlin said simply, with a rueful shrug.

"What? Who was she?" Arthur asked, his voice showing more surprise then it should have.

"How did I not know?" He asked earnestly, wondering how he could have missed his friend falling in love. The he had to remind himself that he had missed much more than that.

"You knew. Well, at least you knew something was wrong." Merlin smiled a little then, "It was during the week when I insinuated that I thought you were gaining weight."

Arthur gaped at him, first over the remembered outrage of being called _fat_, and then after a while, as he thought about it, with a sickening lurch he knew _exactly_ who Merlin was talking about.

"The Druid girl. The one that turned into the beast who was killing people!"

"She was cursed!" Merlin snapped back quickly, his eyes stormy with anger.

"What she _was_ wasn't her fault! Some evil witch cursed her just because she had been defending herself, she didn't have a choice." Much quieter now, "She didn't want to be a monster…"

Merlin's voice showed more than just a defense of this girl, it was clear that this topic hit close to home.

"But Merlin- I , I killed her." Arthur said quietly, his voice filled with guilt. He felt horrible and he couldn't imagine how he would feel about someone who killed Gweneviere. He could hardly even think about it.

"I know." Merlin answered, but his expression wasn't angry.

"You didn't know, and I can't blame you for that. All you saw was a monster who was killing innocent people." Merlin continued, his voice calm and devoid of anger.

There were a few more reasurances, but after that moment things flowed easier. Merlin was able to talk about everything without fear, knowing that the worst was over. Of course, there were more surprises (Arthur was completely indignant about his quest to the Fisher King's Lands, and couldn't believe that he hadn't gotten to see what Merlin had. Gwaine was rather put out too.)

"What the hell Merlin? I signed up for the adventure, not the little tour of the castle you know?" Gwaine had exclaimed, his face showing his disappointment.

"I can't believe _my_ quest was about _you_!"-Arthur

"What do you mean the trident meant _nothing_? It was key to me becoming King!" Arthur had squawked out, rising from his seat and hitting the table in frustration.

Merlin had merely laughed, and the whole table had joined in at Arthur's expense.

However, at the end of this journey of tales, everyone looked at Merlin and saw the most incredible man they had ever met, and were lucky enough to call their friend.

Of course, when everyone finally parted for the night, Arthur went to his room and without bothering to change out of his clothes he had just lain, spread eagle on top of his sheets, staring at the ceiling. Arthur went over everything Merlin had said, literally going through the past four years. At some point he got up, lit a candle, and began writing down the questions he still had for Merlin. He got very little sleep that night.

Merlin, on the other hand, had never slept sounder in his life. Oh sure, he knew that this was only the beginning, and that although Arthur _said_ he trusted him, it would take time for that statement to be completely true. Despite this sobering fact Merlin felt light, happy, and at ease because he knew that he would never have to hide from his friends again. He knew he was accepted and that he was loved.

Arthur and Merlin were best friends, and destiny was on their side.

Arthur would eventually trust Merlin again everything would be okay.

In the end, they would be just fine.

**The End**

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><p><em>AN: Holy Crow...Can't believe thats over. I hope it didn't seem too rushed or anything but the fact was people, this was long and hard to write. I think I have that frozen hand disease. I just want to say that I LOVED writing this story, because I know that the reveal in the show won't have this type of closure. I just hope they at least insinuate that Merlin "told him everything", but I don't want to get my hopes up.<em>

_Please review and I promise to reply to every single one. Thank you all again :) _


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